Awake
by Salemsoriginal99
Summary: There are two types of people... Those who like the world as it is and those who don't...
1. Is Something Wrong

_If you're not confused, you're not paying attention. _**-Tom Peters

* * *

**"Can I ask you something?"

Hermione smiled and looked up from her book.

"Yes?"

Ron glanced over at Harry, who was sleeping quietly on his bed, then moved over to where Hermione was sitting by the window.

"Why do you read that?" he asked quietly.

Hermione glanced down at the book then back up at him.

"Because it's interesting," she whispered.

Ron smiled and leaned in.

"How interesting?"

Hermione bit her lip and tilted her head to the side.

"I don't know, you tell me."

Ron leaned in fully and brushed his lips against hers. Hermione sighed into his mouth and moved closer, her book falling to the ground completely forgotten.

"Ugh! Can't you two wait till tomorrow night?"

Hermione and Ron turned to see Harry sit up in bed and rub his eyes. Hermione turned red and glanced over at Ron then got up.

"I should go find your mother. She wanted us to go down to Diagon Alley soon," she said before walking out the door. The moment the door closed a pillow hit Harry in the head.

"Oy!"

Ron got up and moved back over to his own bed.

"Thanks, Harry. The only time we get alone before the wedding and you ruin it," he muttered.

Harry smiled.

"Well, I didn't have to wake up to see you two snogging," he replied watching Ron as he pulled close out of the dresser. "Besides, you'll _plenty_ of time to catch up _after_ the wedding."

Ron looked over at Harry and snorted.

"With the way Mum's going, I'd be surprised if I even _see_ Hermione," he said before leaving the room with his clothes.

Harry smiled and started to get dressed as well. He was glad to have a few moments with his friends before they got married, even if that meant that Mrs. Weasley had to demand that the bride, groom and most of the immediate family spend the last week before the wedding in the overly cramped Burrow.

* * *

"Harry," Hermione whispered, walking up beside them as they walked down Diagon Alley. Ron, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were up ahead while Hagrid followed closely behind.

"Hey, Hermione," he greeted.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. He frowned and she pointed to his scar. "I've noticed that you've been sleeping a lot. Does it have anything to do with your scar?"

Harry shook his head, rubbing his scar unconsciously.

"No… I just feel tired," he replied.

"Are you sure?"

Harry smiled.

"Trust me, Hermione. If my scar started hurting, you and Ron would be the first to know," he said before they entered Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. Once again, Mrs. Weasley began fussing over some of the items in the store while Ginny just rolled her eyes and disappeared down one of the isles. Harry glanced over at the twins and Ron, who were talking by the cash register before moving down the isle Ginny had just gone down. Hermione smiled and moved over to Ron, leaning on the counter. Fred smile broadened when he saw her.

"Hermione! My sweet dear, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Fred. How's Angelina?"

It seemed as if she had just said the right words. Fred's face lit up and his grin got bigger.

"She's due any minute now. She's actually at her parent's house for the weekend," he said. George suddenly appeared from the back, grinning.

"Was that fair Hermione I heard from the back?" he asked, taking her hand in a flourish and kissing it. Ron snatched her hand out of his brother's and held it close to his side.

"Oy! Don't start getting friendly with her," he warned.

George looked appalled.

"Friendly?!" he gasped. "What type of brother do you take me for? My dear Ronniekins! If anything, I'd be worried about her being taken by a rather handsome looking man who looks strangely like me."

Ron whirled around but it was too late. Fred had snuck up behind Hermione and hoisted her over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes. With Hermione screaming for him to put her down, he took off out the door and down the street, Ron close on his heels.

"What's going on?"

George turned with a grin to see Harry, Ginny and his mother approach the cash register.

"Oh nothing," he answered happily.

Ginny looked around and frowned.

"Where's Hermione and Ron?"

As if to answer their question Fred ran by the store with Hermione on his shoulder. Ron was right behind them, yelling some rather nasty oaths of dismemberment if Fred didn't put down his fiancée.

"Oh."

Harry started laughing.

"Ron's always chasing after her, isn't he," he said, laughing some more. Ginny shook her head at the two men.

"There's something wrong with all the men in this family," she muttered to herself before walking out the door. She turned in the direction Fred had run off in.

"OY! If you mess up the bride, Fred, you'll have more to deal with than the groom! For once I'd like to have a sister!" she screamed.

They saw her wait for a moment then she marched off toward where the three had left. Harry glanced over at Mrs. Weasley, who was muttering to herself.

"Tomorrow's going to be interesting," he said before they left as well.

* * *

"When are you going over to the Burrow?" Hermione asked Ron as she looked through her closet for her shoes.

Ron looked up from the letter he was writing.

"Six, I think," he answered, going back to his letter.

Hermione nodded and shifted an old box around.

"There they are," she muttered, reaching out and grabbing them. She stepped away from her closet and looked over at her desk, where Ron was sitting. Setting down her shoes, she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning over his shoulder.

"What are you writing?" she asked.

Ron smirked and folded the letter so she couldn't read it.

"That's a question I usually ask you," he replied, turning around in his chair and pulling her down on his lap. She glanced behind her at the letter.

"Seriously, Ron. I'd _love_ to congratulate the person who managed to get you to write," she said, reaching out to take a peek.

Ron just shook his head and took her hand before it reached the letter.

"That's beautiful, Hermione, but I really don't want you to know that I'm writing to Victor. Oh, damn, I've given it away," he said mockingly, grabbing the letter and stuffing it in his pocket. He then smiled at Hermione.

"You'll find out tomorrow," he said lovingly before unceremoniously dumping her on the ground and leaving the room.

"Ron!"

She followed him out and watched him sit down on the couch and pick up a magazine. Crookshanks appeared from the kitchen and jumped up on the couch beside him, setting his large bulk down on Ron's lap. Ron scratched the thing's head as he read the magazine and Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"It's hard to believe that you two are actually getting along," she said.

Ron looked up at her and shrugged.

"Crookshanks couldn't resist my charming good looks for long," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat down beside him, pulling her cat off of Ron.

"You flatter yourself too much," she said. "I just think he didn't like you because you were such a prat."

Ron looked at her and smiled.

"Well said, my dear fiancée. Pray tell, what other insult do you have for me before we get married?" he asked.

Hermione rubbed Crookshanks' belly and shrugged.

"Don't worry, I'll think about it," she responded.

Ron grinned and leaned in to kiss her. Their lips had just met when something started tapping on the door. Ron let out a frustrated sigh.

"If that's Hedwig, I'm going to _kill_ Harry," he growled, looking over at the window to see what it was. Hermione turned as well and saw a black owl at the window.

"It's a post owl," she said, moving Crookshanks off her lap and going over to the window. She opened it and the bird handed her an envelope before flapping off.

"Who's it from?"

Hermione glanced over at him before shaking her head.

"It doesn't say. Just has my name," she replied, sitting back down. She opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of parchment. At first there was silence then Ron snorted and got up.

"What type of git sends an empty piece of parchment?" he asked.

Hermione frowned.

_Empty?_

The parchment wasn't empty. It was written on. Why would Ron say that it was empty?

_Unless it was addressed to you only, then of course he wouldn't see it,_ she said to herself.

She decided not to say anything until she had read the letter herself. She placed the letter on the couch and walked over to Ron, who was now putting on his coat.

"Are you excited?" he asked.

Hermione zipped up his coat and looked up at him.

"Depends on what about?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

Ron gave her a cheeky grin and leaned in, kissing her cheek.

"You'll find out tomorrow night," he whispered before taking out his wand and disapparating.

Hermione smiled and turned back to the letter. She went back over to the couch and sat down beside Crookshanks. Picking up the letter, she began to read.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I must first introduce myself, seeing as that is a common courtesy that I always indulge in. My name is John Doe. You don't know who I am, but I certainly know who you are. Your intelligence is well known across Europe and even across the waters in America. You've helped place Muggleborns back into a state of respect. You started the Elf Protection Program and speak at least nine different languages, including Troll, which I must admit is quite amazing. You also travel quite a bit to give lectures to other schools across Europe, Northern America and Australia. I have even had the pleasure of hearing you speak a few times at the War rallies a few years ago before Voldemort was vanquished. Your speeches aroused me into thinking that taking matters into your own hands was a very good idea and I have been doing so ever since. _

_This is why I have written to you, Ms. Granger. I have a very keen interest in discussing certain matters with you. I hope that you and I can become very close friends in the near future. Like you, I intend to do a very good deed for my country. I hope you will help me in doing so._

_So this is where I beseech your help. You are the only one who can aid me in my quest. Please reply __soon_

_Your avid fan,_

_John Doe_

"John Doe?" Hermione whispered, thoroughly confused. It wasn't the fact that this man knew so much about her that confused her. Ever since the war, her life had been anything but private, especially after her and Ron's engagement.

What confused her was what this man actually wanted with her. She had received messages before. Mostly threats, but occasionally she got the sick love note accompanied by pictures of her with Harry or Ron.

This man had not threatened her nor had he given the note the company of some very intimate picture of her. He just wanted her help.

She glanced up at the door, biting her lip.

She wasn't exactly sure if she should tell Ron about this. With the wedding tomorrow, she wasn't about to jeopardize this chance by freaking Ron out with this little complimentary letter.

Sighing she stood up and went to her bedroom, placing the letter in her desk drawer with some of her more personal files from work. After locking the drawer she sat down in the chair and sighed again.

"It's just a letter," she said to herself. She closed her eyes and tried to think about tomorrow.

"It's just a letter."

**A/N: AAAAAANNNNNNDDDDDDD, We're off! Welcome to the magical world of my warped mind! I hope you enjoy the ride.**


	2. Black Birds

_If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster._**-Isaac Asimov**

* * *

"Oh dear, you look absolutely beautiful!" Mrs. Weasley squealed upon entering the room the bride was using. Hermione couldn't help but grin as she turned to face her future mother-in-law. 

"Did the men make it back?" she asked nervously as Fleur fiddled with the veil on her head.

Ginny came in behind her mother and closed the door, rolling her eyes.

"Drunken idiots," she muttered. Hermione looked alarmed.

"What? What happened?"

Mrs. Weasley waved her hand, dismissing Ginny's words and giving her daughter a disapproving look.

"Nothing! Nothing happened, dear," she said, picking up the bouquet and examining it for the tenth time that day. Ginny smiled and sat down in front of Hermione.

"You're only saying that because it was Dad's idea," she said.

Angelina and Alicia turned away from the mirrors in which they were looking and stared at Ginny.

"What happened?"

Mrs. Weasley sighed and pointed to the bridesmaids dresses.

"Just be glad that Hermione picked those colors," she said.

Fleur looked down at the gold gown she was wearing.

"Why?" she asked in her thick French accent.

Ginny just grinned.

"The whole bachelor party decided to do a bit of redecorating at the last minute."

"WHAT!"

Hermione stood up and was about to go over to the window when Ginny took her arm.

"Don't worry, Hermione! It's actually quite good," she said.

"What did they do?" Lisa, Charlie's wife, asked, moving over to the window herself. Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

"You can't see it from these windows."

Hermione looked as is she was freaking out.

"What did they do?" she asked.

Ginny shrugged.

"In their drunken stupor, they raised the Gryffindor colors and replaced mum's menu with the meal you, Ron and Harry had the first day of Hogwarts," she told them all.

Mrs. Weasley sniffed.

"They didn't replace the desserts at least," she said, causing Alicia and Lisa to snicker.

There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Granger came in and stopped, staring at her daughter. Her eyes filled with tears and Hermione bit her lip.

"You… you're getting married," she whispered and Hermione got up. "My little girl is getting married."

Hermione embraced her mother and held her close, trying not to cry herself. She promised herself that she wouldn't cry today.

"I love you, mum," she whispered.

Mrs. Granger let out a watery laugh and pulled away from her daughter. It seemed that everyone had suddenly become overcome by the tears because they were all dabbing their eyes at the sight. Hermione laughed as well, looking around at the women.

"Come on, now," she said. "We can't all be blubbering or Ron's going to think I don't want to get married."

Ginny stood up and placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"That might be a good thing for you, Hermione."

Everyone laughed. There was another knock at the door and a young woman leaned in.

"Ten minutes, Ms. Granger. And there's a letter for you," the lady said, handing Hermione the envelope before leaving.

Penelope, Percy's wife, smiled.

"You know. This is the last moment you'll be called Ms. Granger. How does it feel?"

Hermione grinned.

"Wonderful!"

"Confusing."

They all looked at Ginny, who shrugged.

"Oh come on! Think about it. Now there are going to be six women going by the name of Mrs. Weasley," she said. She then pointed to Alicia. "With one more next month!"

Hermione smiled and Mrs. Granger kissed her daughter's cheek before moving over to the door.

"Come," she said. "Let's give the bride a few minutes alone."

They all smiled and left the room. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In ten minutes she would be marrying Ronald Bilius Weasley.

"Hermione Jane Weasley," she whispered, testing the name. An instant smile graced her lips and she opened her eyes again. She looked down at the letter in her hand and opened it quickly.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I was slightly disappointed when you did not answer my last letter. I was looking forward to reading your lovely words on one of your parchments. _

_This is why I have written to you again, __Ms. Granger__. I am taking matters into my own hand. I cannot disclose my real intentions in this note for obvious reasons, but I hope we will have a chance to meet each other. Like you, I intend to do a very good deed for my country. I am going to end the prejudice once and for all. _

_So this is where I beseech your help again. You are the only one who can aid me in my quest. Don't bother replying. I'll be in touch. _

_Your avid fan,_

_John Doe_

"Hermione."

Hermione dropped the letter behind a chair and turned to see Harry standing at the door, taking her in.

"Wow…" he murmured. "You… you look…"

Hermione blushed under his gaze and went over to him.

"This is it," she whispered.

Harry's eyes met hers and for a moment none of them spoke. Harry then reached up and touched her face.

"This is it," he repeated.

Hermione bit her lip and tears came to her eyes once again. She leaned in and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck, holding him close.

"I love you, Harry," she whispered.

Harry gave a small squeeze before holding her out at arms length.

"I love you too," he replied. He reached up and pulled the veil over face. "Come on."

* * *

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. The Gryffindor colors created the right mood and Mrs. Weasley's and Mrs. Granger's sobs could be heard over Dumbledore's words. Above them, Snitches flitted about, covered in lilies. 

As a joke, the Weasley men had all decked themselves out in their old Quiddich uniforms. But after seeing Ron standing there at the altar in his uniform, Hermione had pleaded that they change out of them for the reception.

Ron had actually almost fainted at the sight of Hermione. Her long, flowing white dress clung to her body in all the right places. Her hair was done up in a tight bun, with soft curls hanging around her smiling face. She looked like a vision and it took Harry, who was standing beside Ron, to jerk the frightened groom back into reality.

After the ceremony, Ron and Hermione had been ushered into the kitchen so that the backyard of the Burrow could be transformed into the reception floor.

"Ron!" Hermione squealed when he pinned her against the wall. Ron was kissing her face lovingly as he pressed against her.

"Can you believe it?" he asked breathlessly. She looked into his eyes and grinned.

"Not yet," she whispered before their lips collided. Hermione gasped when his lips moved away from hers and down to her neck.

"Ron," she whispered.

"What?"

"Your uniform… you need to take it off," she gasped.

Ron pulled away, raising an eyebrow.

"My, my, aren't you the eager one," he said with a smirk.

"I don't think she was talking about that, mate."

Ron and Hermione turned to see Harry standing there, grinning. Hermione broke out into a smile and moved over to him, hugging him tightly and squealing at the same time.

Ron just smiled and shook his head.

"I didn't think so. I've waited this long, why not make me wait a little longer," he said before disappearing up the stairs. Hermione smiled and turned back to Harry.

"You're married!" Harry said laughing. Hermione couldn't stop grinning as she hugged Harry again.

"I know!"

"To Ron!"

Hermione pulled away from him.

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," she said with a smile.

Harry shrugged, looking over her beaming face with happiness.

"I don't know… I lived in the same dormitory with him for seven years and I have to say, he's not the cleanest person."

"But I was the best looking bloke."

Hermione and Harry looked over at the stairs to see Ron standing there in his dress robes. To Hermione, she had never seen anyone more handsome than now.

"You still are," she said, going over to him and leaning up for a kiss. His hand moved up to her cheek and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss quickly.

Harry coughed loudly and the two pulled away, looking over at Harry. He just smiled.

"Oh believe me, I'll be doing this all night," he said. The backdoor opened and Fred peeked in.

"The crowd demands the presence of the newlyweds," he said before glancing over at Harry. "Hagrid's going to announce them and I really don't think Hermione's parents would appreciate you coming out when they announce the new Mrs. Weasley."

Harry grinned and nodded. Fred shut the door and Harry turned to his best friends.

"I guess I'm the third wheel," he said.

Ron shook his head.

"Only for the next two weeks," he replied. "Or at least until tomorrow morning. Ouch!"

Hermione gave him a nasty look.

"We didn't get married _just_ to consummate our relationship, Ron," she scolded.

Ron grinned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him.

"Yes, well, Harry's still the third wheel until we do."

Harry closed his eyes and let out a groan.

"Okay, I'm going," he called over his shoulder before going out the door.

Hermione smiled and rested her head on Ron's chest, closing her eyes as she listened to his heart beat.

"You ready to go out there, Mr. Weasley?" she asked softly, looking up at him.

Ron looked down at her.

"Only if you are, Mrs. Weasley," he said before screwing up his nose.

"What?" Hermione asked.

Ron shook his head.

"Now you're going to sound like my mum."

* * *

An hour later found Ron and Hermione on the dance floor, staring into each other's eyes as others around them smiled and pointed. 

"You look amazing," Ron said for the twentieth time that evening, holding her close. Hermione blushed and poked him in the chest.

"No matter how many times you say that, we're still going to keep standing here," she whispered.

Ron grinned.

"What if I told you that your dress is beautiful?" he asked.

She pecked him on the lips.

"Then maybe I should keep it on then," she suggested, looking down at it before looking back up at him. "I've never seen you stare at me as much as you have since I've worn this dress."

Ron leaned into her ear so that no one else could hear him.

"Oh no, the dress has to go… tonight," he murmured, causing her to shiver. Her hand slipped up to his neck, keeping him close.

"Tonight?"

Ron nodded, pulling away so that their lips were barely touching. Hermione could feel her knees wobble under his intense blue gaze. For the first time in all her life, she felt completely and utterly safe. Voldemort himself could march up in here with an army of Death Eaters and she knew she was safe.

"Ron…" she whispered.

He smiled and kissed her.

The dance floor disappeared.

The people disappeared.

Even the small golden Snitches above them disappeared as he kissed her softly.

"Ahem."

Ron pulled away from Hermione abruptly, an annoyed look on his face.

"Harry, we _really_ need to reexamine our-"

Ron stopped when he turned to see Mr. Granger standing there, smiling. Hermione bowed her head and tried to conceal her smile as Ron turned bright red.

"I certainly see why Hermione loves you," her father said good-naturedly. Hermione let out a laugh before stopping herself and glancing up at Ron.

"Mr. Granger," Ron said.

Mr. Granger smiled and shook Ron's hand.

"John is fine. And now, if you don't mind, I'd like to dance with my daughter," he said, glancing over at his daughter. Ron nodded and gave Hermione's hand to her father. Giving her a small peck on the lips, he moved over to where Harry was sitting with Remus, Tonks, Moody and Bill. They all smiled when Ron sat down.

"Wow, Ron. I've never seen you grin this much before," Remus commented.

Ron shrugged.

"I'm just really happy, I guess."

Harry rolled his eyes.

"He's just thinking about tonight," he replied, causing everyone to chuckle. Bill clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"Ron has nothing to worry about. As long as he's inherited the Weasley gene for love making, I think he'll satisfy."

Tonks snorted and stood up.

"I think that's my cue to go over and tell Fleur that her husband's trying to give tips on making love. Maybe she can stop you before you give Ron some bad advice," she said.

"Ha, ha," Bill said mockingly. Tonks winked at Ron, gave Remus a peck on the lips and walked off, bumping into a waiter as she did. Bill smirked and stared at Remus.

"She must be a handful," he remarked.

Remus shrugged and pointed at Fleur, who was now glancing over at them while listening to Tonks.

"I hear French women are hard to please," he said.

Bill laughed.

"Well, since we have another child on the way, I think I did something right," he said.

"Or something wrong," Moody said, chugging down a firewhiskey.

The men laughed and continued talking. The activities went by joyfully.

No one noticed the black birds flitting around in the woods and flying over the people. No one noticed that they were watching everything carefully. No one noticed that they were watching the bride intently.

**A/N: As you guys can already see, things are going to be interesting. **

**nextbestthing:** Things don't go downhill for a while.

**wasu:** I'm glad you like it.

**charma10:** Well, you know me. :-)

**sballLuvr5:** Don't worry, this one is very different.

**tamara72:** Oh, just wait and see! ;-)

**smore4u1:** I'll take you all to whole new places, both literally and figuratively.

**Wesker888:** That'd be a change. For once, you'd be the frequently updating author and I'd be the lazy reader who gets to whine and complain about who you aren't updating fast enough. :-)

**GoodbyeYBR:** I'm glad you do. It's going to get much more interesting in the next few chapters.

**Chapter Tease: Because you know... I have to...**

_Ron watched her quietly. To an outsider, he looked amazingly calm. In actual fact he was anything but; he was freaking out. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to be crying…_

_"Hermione," he said again and saw her close her eyes. _

_"Ron," she murmured, her voice barely audible and shaking with fear._


	3. Promise of a Lifetime

_The smell of your skin  
The taste of your kiss  
The way you whisper in the dark  
Your hair all around me  
Baby you surround me  
You touch every place in my heart  
Oh, it feels like the first time, every time  
I want to spend the whole night in your eyes_

**Amazed by Lonestar****

* * *

**

Ron opened the door to the suite and placed the suitcases to the side. He looked through one of the bags and found a few knives.

He had learned a long time ago that just because you were having a good time didn't mean something bad wasn't going to happen.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked from her place at the door. He glanced behind him before going further into the room.

"Just a precaution, 'Mione," he said over his shoulder. He placed a couple of the knives under the couch pillows. He put three behind the beautiful curtains that surrounded a large window. Through it Ron could see the woods that adjoined the resort they were staying at.

"Ron," Hermione whispered. She never liked seeing him with the knives. She knew he thought that they were necessary but she never liked them.

"Just a minute," he replied. He placed a few more knives in random places in the room but Hermione noticed that he didn't put any in the next room. He looked around for a moment before he went back out and picked up Hermione.

"Ron! Ron, you don't have to do that!" she cried as he carried her through the door. He smiled and looked around. He then went to the next room and found the large bed that awaited them. He dumped her on the bed and watched as she sat up.

"You're a very single minded man aren't you," she commented. He kneeled down in front of her and placed a hand on her leg.

"Only because it's my wedding night," he replied. She smiled down at him and held up her hand.

"Then give me a moment and I'll make sure you get your wedding night," she whispered before standing up and going out to the other room. Ron followed her out and watched as she moved around the suite, fiddling around with different objects. He knew she was stalling for time. He could see her muttering to herself.

He almost laughed.

She was scared.

To be honest, so was he, but that didn't matter.

All that mattered was tonight and for both of them to take that next step.

He wasn't going to push her, so he just watched her.

He watched her until he couldn't take it any longer.

Every movement she was making was even more enticing.

Ron moved over to her and took her hand, stopping her from going any further. He turned her around so that she faced him. She looked down at her hands and bit her lip, so he reached up and pushed her chin up so that she looked at him.

"Hey," he whispered. His hand went over her cheek and her eyes fluttered shut.

"Ron…" she murmured.

He smiled and leaned in, kissing her. He felt her lips quiver against his and he pulled away.

"You're scared," he whispered.

She shook her head.

"I'm not scared."

He grinned.

"You're not scared?"

She nodded and he kissed her cheek before leaning into her ear.

"Are you sure?" he asked. He felt her shiver and he wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be there in the morning."

"I know…" She pulled away from him and touched his face. "I know."

He smiled and leaned in and kissed her. Soon, Hermione's previous fears were forgotten and she took his head in her hands and pulled him closer. They stood like that for a while, just kissing each other. Hermione then pulled away for a moment and looked up at Ron.

"I love you," she whispered.

Ron responded with a lop-sided grin and brushed his lips against hers.

"I love you, Hermione Jane Weasley," he replied softly into her lips. Hermione smiled and pulled him closer. Then Ron began to back her up into the wall and deepened the kiss. He pressed himself against Hermione, leaving her moaning as he took the initiative to explore her mouth, prodding around and coaxing a deep moan from her. Hermione could feel herself slowly fading as Ron's taller, stronger frame pushed against hers. Some how he managed to wedge his leg between hers and she gasped before Ron pulled her back to him.

As the passion grew, so did the intensity of their kisses. Just the proximity of their bodies was doing things to Hermione's mind that she'd rather not try to figure out, but enjoy. Her gasps and whimpers were doing things to Ron as well, her soft cries pushing him on as he moved away from her lips and kissed her face lovingly.

Ron moved his head down to her neck again and bit down on her skin. This action caused her head to go back and a breathless groan escaped her lips as her legs buckled.

"Ron," she moaned.

He didn't answer. Instead, he hoisted her up so that she was level with him. He coaxed her to wrap her legs around his waist before he carried her into the next room. Hermione ran her hands through his hair, pushing her body up against his.

Ron ran his hands up and down her back, bringing out more moans. She pulled away, gasping for breath. They stared into each others eyes for a moment then Hermione reached down and began to unbutton her blouse. Ron watched the movement intensely, his eyes moving over the skin that slowly appeared from under the blue blouse. Hermione pushed the cloth off her shoulders and watched it fall to the floor before looking up to Ron, biting her lip. He shifted her so that he could hold her in one arm while his other hand moved up and touched her skin reverently. He then leaned in and kissed the skin between her breasts, causing her to close her eyes as he continued to kiss her.

She then took his head again and brought his lips up to hers. They continued to kiss until Ron finally pulled away, both of them panting for much needed air. Hesitantly at first, Hermione reached down and unbuttoned his shirt, stopping the moment she was done. Ron watched her as her hand touched his chest, eyes following the trail that her fingers left as she ran her hand down his chest. Unable to stand it, he grabbed her hand, stopping her. Woken from her trance, she looked up at him with astonished eyes. She felt herself blush under his intense gaze. Reaching up, Ron tucked a loose curl behind her ear and then kissed her cheek, before kissing her softly on the lips.

He continued to walk over to the bed and gently laid her down before he stood up, staring down at him. Hermione breath caught in her throat when she looked into his eyes. They were piercing, so intense. She loved them, especially when they were in a face that was so handsome and cute.

She watched him watch her for what seemed like forever before he kneeled down on the bed, straddling her. He leaned down and kissed her naval, his hot breath teasing her as he began to undo the buckle on her pants. She watched as he pulled her pants off and then just stared at her again.

She couldn't take it any more. She needed to feel his lips again and he seemed to know that, for he leaned back in and kissed her stomach, his lips moving up until they were hovering over her lips, taunting her. His hands were resting firmly on either side of her hips, pinning her between him and the soft sheets that cried out their names.

"Hello," he whispered, a lopsided grin appearing on his features as he looked into Hermione's eyes.

"Hey," she managed to say. She couldn't breathe anymore. Everything about him was crushing her very being and she didn't want it to stop.

He could see her need growing and he wasn't about to deny her the very same thing he had wanted for a very long time. He brushed his lips against hers and she leaned up, wanting more.

Their tongues darted, explored feverishly. Hermione was trembling and Ron could feel himself shaking with barely contained ecstasy.

This felt so good, so right.

It was like air; and he needed it like he'd never needed anything else in his life.

Ron's hands moved over Hermione's body attentively, his fingers taking in every dip and curve her body make. His body reacted to every sound she made and his lips memorized every taste. Ron lips found their way back to Hermione's mouth again, and he kissed her passionately, wanting to savor every second they had. He kissed his way across her cheek to her other ear, nipping the lower lobe gently, gathering her as close to him as he could.

Hermione's hands had also been moving. She had determinedly removed Ron's pants and was now clutching his boxers, knowing that this was it.

Her lips were like warm liquid, caressing his shoulders and his chest. He was quickly losing all sense of reason and although he was restraining himself from ripping the last shreds of their clothing off, he didn't want this to stop. He was drowning in her, and he suspected she knew it.

Ron could feel his mind slowly clouding over as Hermione's body continued to get closer. He needed her just as much as she needed him and he knew that there was no stopping now.

Hermione gasped.

"Are you all right?" Ron asked, his breathing ragged and irregular. "Did I hurt you?"

Panic suddenly surged through him at the thought of having hurt her. He looked over her face, fearing to see evidence of her being hurt.

Hermione held him close, shaking her head.

"No," she answered breathlessly. She closed her eyes and tried to think for a moment. "Just… slow down... Just go slow."

Their lips met in a feverish exchange.

Ron could feel all sanity start to slip away from him and although he wanted to wait, he knew that soon he wouldn't have a choice because he would be too far gone to hope for anything else.

"Oh Ron..." she moaned. Ron responded with a guttural sound from the back of his throat. He had to force himself to slow down; knowing that going faster would hurt Hermione.

Their lips met again, mingling with heat, all restraint gone. It was like they'd become a lifeline for each other. There was only this passion; here and now. Nothing else mattered, expect each other.

Ron could feel the waves of ecstasy starting to form behind a dam inside of him. He tried hard to preserve some feeling of control but he felt it quickly dying away.

He wanted… everything…

He didn't ever remember feeling like this before.

He wanted to devour her.

Hermione seemed to be gasping for air too as she reached some sort of release.

"Ron," she gasped.

That was all it took. He couldn't hold back anymore and in an instant, the dam broke and wave after wave of pleasure and bliss rolled through him. Their bodies fused and burned. Their bodies tingled as resonating feelings of bliss and love ran through them. This was it. They had finally become one.

**A/N: Ah, young love. **

**smore4u1:** Sure things are going to get interesting, but by interesting did you mean this:-)

**wasu:** Thank you so much! I'm glad that you're enjoying this.

**nextbestthing:** Patience is a virtue.

**Rumpleteaze:** You'll just have to wait and see!

**sballLuvr5:** I can't wait to tell you what happens.

**tamara72:** That was the best part.

**Wesker888:** Yes, I know, but I would like to see the fruits of that last chapter pop up and surprise me as I browse my inbox! Anyway... I'll wait... I'm good at waiting... :-)

**Lollies in London:** What an unusual name. Reminds me of that song about the adverbs. That School of whatit?

**Chapter Tease:**

**YEAH RIGHT! We didn't even get to the last one!**


	4. Room Service

_It is a fearful thing to love what death can touch._**-- Unknown**

* * *

In the hours of the early morning, a soft light spilled gently in through window panes. The soft, golden light crawled into the room, filling it, and landed happily upon a couple who lay in bed, framing them in the rays.

The man was propped up on his elbow, looking down at the woman who was cuddled up beside him. Her hands were in front of her, resting against his chest as she rested her head on his arm, breathing slowly as she slept. Her hair pooled around over the pillows and across her face, covering her from other's view but not from his.

He felt his heart swell again as she murmured his name and moved closer to him, unaware that he was watching her.

Last night had been a dream.

He could never have imagined anything more perfect and more genuinely amazing than what had happened.

His eyes went over her soft features and he leaned down to kiss her cheek. A sleepy smile graced her face and she moved closer.

Never had he seen anything more stunning in his life and he knew he never would.

Ron knew he could watch her sleep forever. Just as long as she was beside him, he could stay like this. Just as long as she smiled, he could stay like this.

"Hermione Jane Weasley," he whispered, pushing a lock of hair out of her eyes before resting his hand on her exposed shoulder.

He ran his hand up and down her arm and felt her shudder.

"Hermione…"

He wanted to kiss her lips again. He wanted to hear her say his name as they made love for the second time.

But most of all he wanted to look into her eyes and see the love that they had just affirmed only hours before.

He heard a faint knocking sound and frowned, pulling his eyes away from Hermione and looking over to the door. He waited for a moment and heard the knocking again. Not wanting the sounds to wake up Hermione, he quietly slipped out of the bed. He stood there for a moment, searching the floor for his discarded pants and found them. Shoving them on, he also found his wand and left the room quietly, closing the door quietly and casting a charm on it. He didn't want to wake Hermione.

There was more knocking and Ron was starting to get angry. He was pretty sure he had put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door.

When he reached the door, he looked into the peephole.

"Shit!"

Before he knew it there was an explosion and he was flying through the air. He hit the couch and tipped it over violently as he crashed to the ground. The door landed close by, barely missing his head.

Recovering, he grabbed his ears as the sound of the explosion rang through his head.

"Shit," he gasped, getting to his knees and looking around for his wand. He couldn't find it and looked up at the door to see three men standing there, wands drawn. His wand was lying broken at their feet.

"Who are you?" Ron demanded, his eyes focusing on the wands that were trained on him. One of the men came forward and cocked his head to the side.

"You've corrupted her. It's time for you to go."

As the man said this, Ron noticed the man to his right moving over to the small hall that lead to the room Hermione was sleeping in. Panic filled him and moved accordingly.

In two quick motions Ron reached into the couch and flung a knife, catching the man in his wand wielding hand.

"Argh!" the man cried out, grabbing the knife and yanking it out of his hand.

"_Crucio!"_ the first man screamed. Ron dove out of the way and found another knife lying on the ground. Tossing it up into the air and grabbing its hilt, he flung it expertly at the first man, who cried out and fell to the ground, clutching his leg in pain. Ron saw the third man fire and the second man disappear into the hall. Rage boiled up in him, replacing the panic that had once been there and he charged over the fallen furniture, snatched two knives from the small bookshelf and slammed his weight into the man, who was just about to open the door.

"_Avada Kerdava!_"

Hearing those fatal words, Ron quickly twisted himself so that he was under the man. There was a flash of green light and the man over him went limp. Ron shoved the dead weight off of him and flung the first knife, catching the first guy in the neck. The man fell to his knees, gurgling blood. He tried to say something then fell flat on his face.

Ron stood up and ran over to the man but was grabbed by his neck and slammed into a wall. He felt cold steel against his neck and kicked out behind him, effectively pushing his assailant away. He turned around and leaned back, pulling out of the way of the slashing blade.

Ron flipped the blade in his hand around and hurled it at the man, hitting him in the shoulder. The man pulled the knife out of him and tossed it to the side. Ron's eyes grew and before he knew it he was being charged at by the man. The man had Ron by the neck, squeezing hard as he pulled out the other knife. Before Ron could stop him he felt the blade cut through his skin. Gasping, he coughed up blood. He reached down and much to his attackers surprise wrenched the knife out of his side and crashed it down into the man's neck.

"_Avada Kerdava!_"

Suddenly Ron could breathe again and he slid to the ground, coughing up more blood and gasping for air.

* * *

It was cold. 

That was the first thing that went through her mind when she finally started waking up. She reached out for Ron, but to her surprise and at this point, mild horror, she felt nothing but sheets.

She opened her eyes and hoped to see him there. But he wasn't.

Biting her lip, she pulled the covers up around her and looked around the room. Her eyes moved across the discarded clothing and untouched complimentary wine that sat on the dresser. He wasn't there.

Sudden panic flooded her being as she tried to think of where he was.

"Ron," she whispered, hoping that this was one of his little jokes. "Ron."

No answer.

She sat up and tried to think clearly. She didn't want to jump to any extreme conclusion to Ron's disappearance.

_He's probably in the bathroom_, she told herself.

"Ron," she called. "Ron!"

_Why isn't he answering?_

Maybe he left.

_No, Hermione! He didn't leave. He wouldn't. He's probably getting food or something. Just wait a few minutes. He probably thinks you're still asleep._

Hermione took a deep breath and tried not to think about it.

She tried to fill her mind with last night and how amazingly perfect it had been. She tried to think of Ron and how unbelievably-

_Where is he?_

Panic once again clouded her mind and she pulled the covers out of the bed. Wrapping herself in them, she looked around again.

"Ron!" she called, stepping over the clothes that were scattered on the floor. "Ron!"

She turned the knob on the door and opened it.

* * *

"What the hell's going on?" Ron demanded, leaning on the wall and clutching his stomach in pain. 

Remus Lupin glanced down the hallway on each side before looking back into the suite where the evidence of Ron's fight lay strewn over the floor.

"I don't know, Ron, but you two have to come back with me. Things are happening in London and your family needs you."

A scream rent through the air and Ron turned to the door.

"HERMIONE!"

He and Remus ran into the suite and looked down the small hall to see Hermione standing at the door, pale and quaking; her eyes on the dead man at the door. Ron had never look as terrified as she did now. He started for her but she jerked, her eyes moving up to him as if he were the same man lying on the floor. Her eyes filled with fear and Ron stopped.

"Hermione," he whispered. "Hermione, it's me, Ron. I'm not going to hurt you."

He spoke quietly and gently, not moving from where he stood. Any movement could startle her into running; she looked poised for flight.

Beside him, Remus watched the interaction, afraid that if Ron moved too soon, Hermione would do something that might unintentionally hurt her or Ron.

"Hermione. It's okay. You're safe. You're not in any danger," Ron whispered, pleading silently with his eyes for her to come to him.

From where she stood Hermione heard Ron's voice. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, hoping to wipe the images from her mind. Images of years past…

But Ron's voice was seeping into her brain like a fog and slowly his words began to come through the silent screams that echoed from the dark crevices of Hermione's mind.

_Ron… was Ron alive?_ She asked herself. _Yes, Hermione. He's standing right in front of you, just beyond the dead body… Just open your eyes and you'll see him…_

She concentrated with all of her might and took a deep, steadying breath. She was cold and shaking all over. She opened her eyes slowly, tears coming to her eyes as she validated what she had told her self.

Ron watched her quietly. To Remus, he looked amazingly calm. In actuality, he was anything but; he was freaking out. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to be crying…

"Hermione," he said again and saw her close her eyes.

"Ron," she murmured, her voice barely audible and shaking with fear.

He was about to head over to her when there was a crack and then an explosion. Hermione screamed, frozen in terror as Ron and Remus were thrown into the wall from the blast. They got to their feet slowly and Ron looked out the door. He disappeared for a moment and then there was another explosion.

"RON!"

He came scrambling in, slamming the door behind him.

"RUN!" he screamed.

He and Remus ran over to Hermione and pulled her into the room. Ron closed the door behind him and turned to see Remus pulling out a small glass figure. Hermione was now crying openly as she stood there helplessly.

"Hurry, Ron!" Remus shouted, hearing voices from beyond the door. Ron started to move but an agonizing pain coursed through him from his side and he stopped, gasping in pain.

"RON!" Hermione screamed, her terrified voice echoing in his ears as he tried to move. The pain which had been nonexistent to him before was now flooding him with immobility.

Unfortunately, the portkey had been activated and Remus had no way of stopping it.

"Ron, hurry!" he screamed.

There was another explosion and the door disappeared, knocking Ron down as more pain washed over him.

"One, two-"

"NO!"

Hermione lunged out to grab Ron's hand just as Remus grabbed hers.

"Three!"

**A/N: Oh yes... I went there...**

**wasu:** I hope you liked it... or at least liked the first bit.

**Lollies in London:** I'm lovin it also!

**'loha:** Glad you're enjoying it!

**sballLuvr5:** I hope you liked the carnage as well. I like to do a bit of give and take. I give them happiness and then snatch it right out of their hands right before they can enjoy it. "Give and take." :-)

**smore4u1:** Well, I decided to do the angsty part after the loving part. I think it balances out, don't you:-)

**nextbestthing:** A well rounded person. A bit of lovin' and a bit of angstyness... (spelling?) Anyway, glad you liked!

**Chapter Tease:**

_"I thought he'd left me," she whispered. _

_"What?" Fleur asked. _

_Hermione closed her eyes. _

_"When I woke up he wasn't there," she murmured. "I… I thought he'd left me…"_


	5. Wish You Well

_Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom._ **-Marilyn Ferguson

* * *

**Everyone in the kitchen was on edge. It had been three hours since Remus had left to go get Ron and Hermione and he had not yet returned. Outside the winds howled and the rain smashed into everything it could find as the lightening lit up the violent landscape. Inside, souls were being tormented with the unknown.

Harry held Ginny's hand tightly as he stood by the back door, his eyes on the floor lost in thought. Ginny was watching him with worry, biting her lip occasionally and squeezing his hand in comfort as they waited.

She knew this was torturing him.

It had happened so quickly that even she didn't know how it had been possible.

Two pureblood families had gone missing and Charlie's house had been ransacked. Both he and Lisa were missing. Their one daughter had been with her grandmother at the time. Ginny had then been attacked on her way down Diagon Alley and Fred and George's store had been set on fire.

All of this had happened within the span of two hours.

Now they were waiting to see if anything had happened to the newlyweds.

Ginny's thoughts were interrupted by a violent crash from outside. Those who were sitting stood up and the others looked out the door. That was when they heard sobbing.

Harry opened the door frantically and then froze upon seeing the sight outside.

Remus was standing by the door, drenched in rainwater. He was staring down at two figures on the ground. Upon looking closer, Harry could see who it was.

Hermione was sitting in the mud, crying over the writhing body of Ron, who was gasping in pain. She looked up at Harry.

"Help him!"

Harry hurried outside and along with Remus and Bill, who had arrived at the door right after Harry; they carried Ron in and up the stairs, followed closely by Mrs. Weasley and Fleur. Hermione was helped in by Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh no," Angelina whispered upon seeing the state of the poor woman. Hermione was wrapped in sheets, evidence of the state they were found in when Remus had come.

Hermione continued to cry.

* * *

It seemed like hours before the others came downstairs again. Harry entered the kitchen where Ginny was handing Hermione a cup of tea. His friend had changed out of her sheets into some of Ginny's clothes and was now sitting at the table. Her eyes were red and her skin was pale and still shaking. 

"Ron's fine," Harry said.

Hermione looked up at him and stared for a moment before looking back down at her cup.

"Harry."

Ginny and Harry looked over at the door to see Remus beckoning him to come with him. Harry glanced over at Ginny then followed Remus into the other room, where Mr. Weasley, Fred, George, Bill and Moody were waiting along with Percy and to Harry's surprise, Dumbledore. Mr. Weasley stood up upon seeing Remus.

"What happened? What happened to Ron?"

Remus took a deep breath and shook his head.

"I don't know, Arthur. Everything that could have gone wrong for them did. Ron was attacked by three men before I could get to him."

"Is that how he was wounded?" Fred asked.

Remus nodded.

"I got there just when it happened…" He closed his eyes. "They must have been watching the two…"

Harry frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Remus looked around.

"They knew that Ron would answer that door," he explained. "I'm not sure why but I _do_ know they came with the intent to kill Ron."

* * *

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, sitting down across from Hermione. Angelina, Alicia, Penelope, Fleur and Mrs. Weasley were also sitting at the table, watching Hermione carefully. The young woman looked up. 

"I thought he'd left me," she whispered.

"What?" Fleur asked.

Hermione closed her eyes.

"When I woke up he wasn't there," she murmured. "I… I thought he'd left me…"

Mrs. Weasley reached out and took Hermione's hand.

"Oh dear, he wouldn't do that to you," she said. Hermione nodded.

"I know he wouldn't… I just… I don't know," she said sighing. "I guess I was just jumping to conclusions, but…"

Penelope nodded her head.

"I understand, Hermione. You were expecting him to be there when you woke up and he wasn't. You're in _the_ most vulnerable state and you need him to be there, but he's not."

Hermione didn't respond, but instead just looked down at her hands.

"I tried to look for him and… there was a man at the door… he was dead and in that moment I…" Tears came to her eyes once again as the feelings from that moment came to her once again in a painful rush. Mrs. Weasley gave her hand a tight squeeze as Ginny Angelina placed an arm around her shoulder.

"It's okay now. He's alive," Angelina whispered.

Fleur had been watching Hermione carefully and knew what Hermione was more concerned about.

"That is not the point," she whispered. They all looked up at her. "They've lost that moment."

"What moment?" Alicia asked.

"That moment where you look into each other's eyes and know that last night really happened," Penelope finished, a far away look on her face.

"Hermione…"

They all looked up to see Harry standing at the door, his eyes on his best friend.

"Can we talk?"

Hermione looked hesitant for a moment then got up and walked out the kitchen, followed by Harry. They walked up the stairs until they reached the middle and then sat down in silence. Harry watched her for a while, unsure of where to begin.

The fact was he knew more about what was going on then anyone knew, even Hermione. And he knew she had a faint idea as to what was going on as well.

He took a deep breath and pulled out the letter he had found when going through the room she had used just the day before.

"I found this last night," he whispered.

Hermione froze beside him and stared at the letter before shaking her head.

"Harry-"

"Why didn't you tell someone?"

Hermione gave him a strange look.

"You get letters all the time, Harry. This is no different," she said.

Harry opened the letter.

"'This is why I have written to you again, _Ms. Granger_. I am taking matters into my own hand,'" he read. "'Don't bother replying. I'll be in touch.'" For a moment Harry didn't say anything, and then he turned to look at her.

"Hermione, he says he'll be in touch and then the next day he sends men to your hotel to kill Ron," he whispered.

"You've gotten letters like this as well, Harry. Besides, there was only one before it and I didn't think this was enough to worry myself or you over," she said. When Harry didn't respond, she bit her lip and closed her eyes.

"Please, Harry. If I had told Ron…" She paused for a moment then continued. "We've been trying to get married for a while now, Harry. Three times, to be more exact. And every time something went wrong… if I had told Ron about the letters then he would have postponed everything. And if not him, Moody would have. If Ron finds out about the letters now…"

There her voice trailed off and tears once again appeared in her eyes. She did her best to swallow them but they began to run down her face as fear replaced the insecurity Hermione had been feeling only a few moments before.

Harry watched her carefully before speaking.

"What did the other letter say?"

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Harry-"

"Hermione?"

They turned around to see Ron standing there on the landing. He seemed fine apart from the slight shaking in his legs from weakness. Hermione rose up to go to him but stopped halfway, looking uncertain. She glanced over at Harry and he looked from her to Ron before standing up.

"I'm… um… I'm going to go… and see if Ginny needs any help," he said quietly before moving off down the stairs. Hermione waited until he was gone before looking up at Ron.

"Are you still in pain?" she asked, going up the stair slowly.

Instead of answering, he waited until she reached him and then took a step forward, reaching out to touch her cheek. Her eyes closed as his fingers caressed her and he felt his chest constrict painfully.

She was still crying…

He leaned and brushed his lips against hers but instead of responding she pulled away and buried her face in his chest, crying harder.

Had last night been a dream?

He knew that it was only the next day but those precious moments seemed so far gone… so far beyond now that he couldn't even believe that it had even happened.

Had last night just been a prelude to the nightmare he knew Hermione was living right now?

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, smoothing out her hair as he held her.

"I thought you had left me," she cried into his shirt. "I thought…"

Ron closed his eyes in horrific realization.

She though he'd abandoned her…

* * *

Harry looked up to see Ron enter the dark kitchen. Everyone else had gone to bed except for Harry, who was still thinking about everything Hermione had told him on the staircase. 

"Is she sleeping?" he asked.

Ron nodded, sitting across from him.

"She decided to stay in Ginny's old room," he muttered in reply, his mind distracted by the events of the morning as well as the night before.

Harry watched his best mate for a moment, unsure of whether to tell him about the letter that had been sent to Hermione. He knew Hermione had every right not to tell Ron. The letter didn't seem to offer any immediate threat at first glance and since he did not know the contents of the first letter, all he had was the one in his pocket to go off of. He also understood why Hermione hadn't actually told anyone about the letter, but now that he looked over letter more carefully, uneasiness passed over him about John Doe's usage of words. Especially when he had underlined her maiden name.

Cursing himself, he spoke.

"I might have an idea as to why you were attacked this morning," he said quietly.

Ron looked up immediately, eager to hear why. Harry sighed and pulled out the letter from his pocket and handed it to Ron, watching as his friend silently read it over several times before speaking.

"Why… why didn't she tell me?" Ron whispered, his eyes going over the letter again.

Harry looked down at his hands.

"She didn't want you to cancel the wedding," he answered.

"What?" Ron asked, finally looking up in confusion.

Harry pointed to the letter.

"She was afraid that if you or Moody saw the letter, you would cancel the wedding," Harry repeated.

Anger suddenly passed over Ron's features and he slammed his fist down on the table. He stood up so quick that his chair went flying back and hit the counter.

"Of course I would cancel the wedding! I'd have locked her up! This man is stalking her!"

Harry grabbed Ron's shoulder and shoved him back in his seat.

"Be quiet!" he growled, glancing over at the door before continuing. "Don't you think I thought about that when I saw the letter?"

"Why the bloody hell-"

"Shut up, Ron!" Harry hissed. Ron continued to mutter under his breath but at least for now he wasn't screaming. Taking a deep breath, Harry continued. "Look Ron… I understand that you're upset but we have to look at this from Hermione's point of view. You two have been trying to get married for four years… It's been hard for her and this time she wanted to go through with it. You need to understand that."

Ron looked down at the letter again, silently going over everything Harry had just said before frowning.

"This has something to do with my family doesn't it, Harry?" he asked slowly, still staring at the letter.

"I don't know."

Ron looked up at his friend and in that moment Harry knew that yesterday was just a dream. Just a glimpse into the reality that would never happen…

"I guess the war isn't over," he muttered before getting up and leaving the kitchen, the letter left abandoned on the table. Harry reached out and took it.

"The war's never over…"

**A/N: I know it's taken forever, but I've finally updated!**

**sballLuvr5:** All in good time.

**smore4u1:** I'll tell you in the next to chapters.

**Rumpleteaze:** Maybe... maybe not. We'll see!

**Oobe:** Yes... they are wonderful arent they?

**wasu:** Sorry I didn't update as fast as you would have liked!

**dora:** Thank you, I'm glad that you do!

**nextbestthing:** Oh believe me! London has it's own set of problems!

**lucy2525:** You must not want to forgive me now, since it took like... four weeks to update... or something like that...

**Chapter Tease: (Because I owe you one!)**

_"Do you know what John Doe wants?"_

_Hermione shook her head. _

_"No… he just mentioned the incident… he didn't say anything else," Hermione replied. _

_Ginny had a feeling Hermione was withholding something. _

_"Hermione…. Do you know who this man is?"_


	6. It's Not Looking too Good

_Love ceases to be a pleasure, when it ceases to be a secret._ **-Aphra Behn**

* * *

It was only hours into the next day when news from the Ministry poured in; telling them all that two more families had disappeared from their homes. Most of the Weasley men, excluding Fred and George, who were asked by their mother to stay at the Burrow, were at the Ministry for the majority of the day. Harry and Remus were also forced to attend meetings at the Ministry.

These arrangements along with the growing tension between Ron, Harry and Hermione was straining the conversations inside the Burrow as well as Ron and Hermione's new marriage. Ron had confronted Hermione about the letter and that had resulted in not only a heated argument with Ron, but a later, much more aggressive argument with Harry. Hermione had then shut her self up in Ginny's room and Ron left for the Ministry, pissed. Things only got worse when he came back home with the others.

"Hey Mum," Bill greeted tiredly as they all marched through the back door, exhausted. Fred and George immediately attacked their eldest brother, prodding for any information about the outside world while their father kissed Mrs. Weasley on the cheek and sat at the table where Ginny and Angelina were sitting, leafing idly through magazines.

"How was it?" the matriarch asked, handing tea to the other men as they gathered around in the kitchen, leaning on a wall or sitting in any chair they could find.

"It's tense. No one knows what's going on and the Ministry's trying to play it down," Arthur responded, sighing. "Since it's only three families, they don't want to make it anything worse than it already is."

"So what's going to happen?" Ginny asked, glancing over at Harry, who was continuously glancing over at Ron as if he was afraid something bad was going to happen.

"I don't know. We'll just have to hope that Charles and Lisa are okay," her father answered.

"We thought we heard you come in," Penelope said, entering the kitchen with a young boy in her arms. Behind her were Fleur and Hermione, each holding a young redheaded child.

Percy smiled and took his son in his arms.

"How's Phineas today?"

The others smiled at Percy's show of affection and quickly dispersed from the kitchen, either to find their loved ones or just to get a rest. Hermione glanced over at Ron before turning to leave.

"Owl!" squealed the little girl in Hermione's arms, pointing at the back door. Ginny smiled and opened the window letting in the large black owl. Ron recognized it as the owl that had delivered the letter to Hermione the day before their wedding. He reached out to take the letter but the bird, having placed the letter under its foot, snapped at Ron's fingers, leering at them all. Hermione glanced around then, after handing the small girl to Ginny, reached out for the letter herself. The bird backed down and after Hermione had the letter in her hands, hopped out of the window and disappeared into the dark.

"Read it, Hermione," Ron said.

"Ron! The letter's for Hermione, not you. Why are you being so rude?" Mrs. Weasley asked, astonished at her son's sudden coldness towards Hermione.

"That letter's the reason we were attacked two days ago!" Ron retorted, pointing at the parchment in Hermione's hands.

Hermione shook her head.

"You don't know that, Ron," she whispered. "It could be anything-"

"Who's the letter from, Hermione?" Ron interrupted. When she didn't answer, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Go on, read it."

Harry was actually uncomfortable with this whole thing. He knew Ron wanted to know what was in the letter, but he didn't think that Ron was going about it the right way. Especially in front of his parents.

"Ron, I think it would be better if-"

"Stay out of this, Harry," Ron growled, his eyes remaining on Hermione. This was no longer Harry's problem. It was between Ron and Hermione, and Ron wasn't about to let Hermione off the hook just because Harry asked him to. "Well?"

For a moment it seemed as if Hermione were about to lash out at him, but then she broke eye contact and looked down at the letter, looking very much defeated.

"'Dear Mrs. Hermione Weasley,'" she started. "'It is a shame to see that you are not…'" She paused here, blinking a few times.

"What? What does it say?" Ginny asked, curious to know what was going on.

Hermione took a deep breath and continued.

"'It is a shame to see that you are not a widow… No worries, we'll soon take care of that.'"

Everyone's eyes fell on Ron, who was still glaring at the letter. Or was he glaring at Hermione?

"'How is Mr. Weasley anyway? I heard that…'" Here she paused, glancing up at Ron before noticably skipping a few lines. "Hermione, I'm worried about you. In this dark time, you are going to need the comfort of your family, which is obviously lacking where you currently sojourn. I have written to say that I will find a way for you to be rid of those people. Now Hermione, I have put off telling you why I have been writing you for a bit too long. What with that little disruption of your snog and that inconvenience of having to send some acquaintances over to your hotel room, I never did seem to get around to it.

Hermione, a small bird told me about one of your dirty little secrets. An expedition in the north highlands gone bad and…'"

At this point she had become deathly pale as she read the rest of the letter silently. There wasn't much left the read. John Doe alluded to a few more things then finished by saying that he would be in touch. He also wrote that he knew she was reading this aloud and advised against it.

"What's going on?" Mr. Weasley demanded, looking between Ron and Hermione with concern. "Who's sending you that?"

"Harry and I have a feeling that Hermione's little friend was the one who sent those men to attack me," Ron said bitterly, drawing Hermione's fearful eyes away from the letter.

"Ron, please-"

"Please what?! He just admitted to attacking me!"

Harry stepped over to Ron, taking him by the arm.

"Ron, let it go! We know who attacked you and Hermione," he growled before looking over to Hermione. "What I'd like to know is what he was talking about when he said 'dirty little secrets.' What's he talking about, Hermione?"

Hermione glanced around then sighed.

"There's something I have to tell all of you…"

* * *

Everyone had been called into the living room, watching as Hermione paced worriedly, glancing continuously at Ron, who liked he wanted to punch someone.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked again when everyone had settled down.

Hermione bit her lip, glancing over at Ron again.

"Well… as you all know… I'm an Unspeakable," she whispered. When no one responded, she went on. "We… we were working on a project in Scotland few months ago. There had always been an unusually high magical activity going on in the highlands there but no one knew why. It had been deemed dangerous to go up there."

"So you went anyway," Ron muttered.

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley scolded. He muttered something else then fell into silence.

"At first nothing happened… but… two days after we got there…" She closed her eyes, the memories of that day flooding back to her. "Do any of you remember Victor Orwell?"

"The man who went missing three months ago?" Bill asked.

Hermione nodded.

"He was pureblood… He got sick while we were there… He began throwing up blood for no reason… his veins were bursting. At first we tried to heal him ourselves… but then…"

"What happened?"

Hermione took a deep breath.

"He… He lost his memory. He… he lost everything…"

"What are you talking about Hermione?"

Hermione looked up at them.

"Five days after we came back from Scotland, Victor Orwell became a muggle."

* * *

Hermione could hear them moving past the door, whispering softly as the walked. She knew they were talking about her. She leaned her ear against the door, trying to listen, but they never stopped at her door.

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Hermione?" Ginny asked, watching her friend from her bed.

"We told the Ministry. They told us to keep our mouths shut," Hermione retorted bitterly, straining to hear for anything.

"Do you know what John Doe wants?"

Hermione shook her head.

"No… he just mentioned the incident… he didn't say anything else," Hermione replied.

Ginny had a feeling Hermione was withholding something.

"Hermione…. Do you know who this man is?"

"I told you, no."

"But you know what he's trying to do."

Realizing that it wasn't a question, Hermione turned away from the door.

"It's impossible, Ginny," she said. "He can't do it."

"Why?"

Hermione was about to answer when someone knocked on the door. Opening it, Hermione frowned to see Harry standing there.

"You need to come with me," he said quietly, glancing over at Ginny.

"Why?"

Harry didn't look like he wanted to explain himself.

"Just come, Hermione," he said quickly before leaving the doorway.

* * *

"I can't tell you that, and you know it," Hermione snapped, sitting down and glaring at Moody.

"Damn it, Hermione! Get off your high-horse and think rationally! If we don't find this place before he does then who knows what could happen?"

Hermione slammed her hand down on the table causing everyone to jump.

"I am thinking rationally! HE CAN'T FIND IT!" she screamed. "It's impossible! The only way he could _possibly_ find it is if he has me or Orwell! And Orwell's a muggle who doesn't remember a damn thing! I _highly_ doubt he's going to storm the Burrow knowing fully well that all of you have me watched!"

"There were others with you!"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Five Unspeakables went to the highlands, yes, but only two of us went to the location of magic activity! The other three had no idea where we had gone!" Hermione told them.

There was a brief silence then Bill spoke.

"During the war… you gave speeches right?" he asked.

Hermione nodded.

Bill seemed to be trying to formulate his words in a way that would get the best answer.

"Were… were there any people there who… who seemed to hate purebloods?"

At first it seemed as if Hermione would answer no, but then she stopped, her eyes going over to Ron, who was standing in the corner.

"There was… there was a man… he… he kept asking these questions about Ron and how I was sure I could trust him… He wanted proof that-"

There a crashing noise and they all turned to see three Ministry officials climb out of the fireplace, dusting themselves off quickly before looking around the crowded room.

"Weasley! Moody! We have problems!"

**A/N: I know it has been a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggg time, but I've finally decided to update. I've been really busy with other things, but I hope you will all forgive me. **

**OzDust:** You'll get a better feel of him in later chapters. Right now, he's just writing. Literally.

**Rumpleteaze:** Yes... well... I'm good at that aren't I. :-)

**wasu:** I'm glad you're enjoying it!

**AllForLoveAndHappiness:** Thank you!

**Lollies in London:** I hope you love this chapter as well!

**sballLuvr5:** You'll see soon enough. Actually, I think in two more chapters. ;-)

**Adelaide MacGregor:** I definitely need it!

**nextbestthing:** Well, like I said to sballLuvr5, you'll see who he really is in a couple of chapters.

**smore4u1:** I hope this answered some of your questions. As for the knives thing, I'll give you a flashback in the next chapter that will give you a bit of clues as to why their used.

**Chapter Tease:**

_Ron grabbed Fred by the shoulders. _

_"Where did she go?!" he demanded. _

_Fred shoved him away. _

_"I don't know! She just yelled something and disappeared!"_


	7. When Tomorrow Comes

_Those who'll play with cats must expect to be scratched._ **-Miguel de Cervantes**

* * *

_Hermione entered the flat, looking around. _

"_Ron? Harry?" _

_Harry came out of the kitchen, looking slightly troubled. _

"_What's wrong?" Hermione asked. _

_Harry pointed to the small hall that led to two different rooms. _

"_He's doing it again," Harry muttered, taking a swig of butterbeer as he sighed. "He took them out last night and won't put them away."_

_Hermione bit her lip and walked down the hall, peering through the open door into Ron's room._

_He was sitting in a chair that he had pulled up to his bed. Across his bed, at least fifty different knives were spread, glistening in the afternoon sun that filtered through the windows. _

_Hermione knew that there were more around the flat, hidden in various places. She even knew that, against Mrs. Weasley's orders, Ron had some at the Burrow, though she had no idea where. _

_Ron was currently cleaning one rather long knife._

"_Harry hates it when you take those out," she whispered. _

"_Harry can kiss my arse," Ron muttered._

_Hermione bit her lip at the cold words. _

"_I hate it when you take those out," she whispered. _

_Ron turned around to face her. _

"_Then you can show yourself out," he said before turning back to the knives. _

"_Ron, do you really think that-"_

"_Don't start with me, Hermione," Ron snapped, putting the knife in his hand down and standing up to face her. "If you don't like them, then go."_

"_They're dangerous-"_

"_You weren't complaining about them when Malfoy had a wand to your throat."_

_Hermione closed her mouth for a moment then spoke again. _

"_I understand that you think that they're necessary, Ron… but I… I don't like seeing you with them…" She looked down at her hands. "They make me feel like I'm not safe."_

_Ron closed his eyes, cursing himself for being stupid. He walked over to her and took her face in his hands. _

"_You are safe," he whispered. "Hermione look at me."_

_She looked up. _

"_You are safe," he repeated firmly. "But you need to understand… I'm not going to stop using them just because you or Harry is uncomfortable with them."_

_Hermione glanced over to the bed then sighed. _

"_I know…"_

_With that, Hermione walked out, leaving Ron to his knives. _

"_What did he say?" Harry asked, handing her a butterbeer as she sat down at the small kitchen table. _

"_He said… he's not going to stop using them…"_

Hermione woke up suddenly, biting her lip as she looked around. Ginny was on the other bed, sleeping quietly. It was still dark outside and moonlight was filtering through the shaded windows. Hermione glanced over at the clock and frowned. It was only one in the morning.

She sighed and lay back down on her back, staring at the ceiling.

Her mind wandered to Ron…

It was now two weeks since their wedding and things had only gotten worse between them. She knew he wanted to know more about the John Doe, but the truth was she didn't know anything else. She had absolutely no idea what the man wanted. Ron wasn't about to accept that though.

Hermione closed her eyes, not wanting to think about John Doe… but then… if she didn't think about that man… she thought about the man upstairs… the man who was supposed to be here.

She wanted so much to just speak to him again. To just be able to sit there and watch him without feeling saddened.

They had tried over the past two weeks to try to get a moment alone, but every time that happened, someone always seemed to barge in or something bad happened in London, calling him away.

She turned over on her side, shivering in the cold sheets.

Hermione knew Ron had been upset about her opting to sleep by herself in Ginny's old room, but she couldn't bring herself to face him again without talking over what had happened that morning.

She sighed and got up, moving out of her bed and creeping over to the door, careful not to wake Ginny as she left the room. She slowly made her way down the stairs, staring at some of the pictures on the wall as she left. When she reached the bottom steps, she found herself paralyzed in front of the most recent photograph.

Ron and she were waving at the camera happily, embracing each other as they laughed and kissed lovingly.

Now Ron and she could hardly go five minutes in each others presence without having a fight. And if they didn't get into a fight, they were interrupted before anything could really be said.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Hermione turned around quickly then frowned upon seeing Fred standing there.

"Oh… Fred…" she whispered.

A foreign expression passed over the normally cheerful twin. He knew she had wanted to see Ron standing there and she knew he had disappointed her. She tried to cover up her frustration by asking him about Angelina.

Fred shrugged and sighed.

"She tired and we're both not getting much sleep," he answered, following her into the kitchen, where he sat down at the table. "How are you?"

Hermione grimaced.

"I haven't seen Ron in two days… I'm beginning to think that he went over to Sirius's old place with Harry and Remus," she answered, sitting down across from him.

Fred frowned but decided not to comment. He had seen Ron earlier that day and could tell that his younger brother was still angry about his recent fight with Hermione.

"Fred, is-"

Hermione was interrupted by a tapping on the window. They both hesitated for a moment then Hermione stood up quickly and moved over to the window, staring at the large black owl that was outside. Fred stood up but didn't move any further.

"Hermione," he whispered.

She jerked then opened the window, snatching the letter from the bird before closing the window and watching it fly away.

"Hermione-"

"It's from him," she whispered, more to herself than to Fred. She opened it. "Dear Hermione. I must tell you that I have been extremely disappointed with your lack of willingness to correspond with me," she muttered quickly, her eyes moving frantically over the words. "I know you have no reason other than to anger that man you unfortunately must call a husband, though I hope that that disgusting title will be removed from him permanently…."

Hermione stared at those words for what seemed like forever before continuing.

"I know this is a rather inconvenient time for you, but I know you will understand quite quickly that I have had to hasten our meeting to be sooner than you or I might have hoped. You contain some information that, until now, I thought would be of easier access to me. I know now where to find that information. You must pardon my intrusion… I will leave everything as it was when I leave… I hope you and your husband's brother enjoy your night…"

"Hermione!"

She had bolted out of the kitchen the moment she finished those words, fear in her eyes. Hermione ran into the living room and stumbled into the fireplace, a fistful of Floo powder in her hand. Fred had just entered the room behind her when she threw down the black powder.

"Hermione wait!"

Hermione called out something, there was a giant _whoosh_ and suddenly she was gone. Shocked, Fred was about to follow her when the flames suddenly turned purple, sparking dangerously when he got close.

"What's going on?"

Fred turned to see his parents as well as all the other occupants of the Burrow, minus the children, standing by the stairs.

"Fred, what are you doing?" Mr. Weasley asked tiredly, not wanting to hear some stupid excuse from his son.

Fred pointed to the fireplace.

"Hermione just left…"

Ron shoved his way to the front of the group.

"What?!"

Fred continued to point.

"We were talking and then that Doe bugger-"

"Fred!"

"-Sent a letter to her. She started reading then bolted off. I tried to follow but then the fire turned purple…"

Ron had turned completely pale while Mr. Weasley walked over to the fireplace, getting as close as possible without getting burnt by the sparking flames.

"They've shut down the Floo system," he said.

"They?"

Mr. Weasley frowned.

"The Ministry of Magic. They're the only ones who can."

Ron grabbed Fred by the shoulders.

"Where did she go?!" he demanded.

Fred shoved him away.

"I don't know! She just yelled something and disappeared!"

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been on in a while. To make up for it I'm going to be posting TWO chapters. That's right, two! 2! Though the real reason is because I figured you would all kill me if I didn't continue after this chapter. Though you might want to kill me after the next chapter. **

**Rashel Quinn:** Thank you. I had been planning to write a D/G fic earlier last year but never got around to it. I'll try this year, but I won't make any promises.

**Adelaide MacGregor:** Thanks for the encouragement. I hope you enjoy the next chapter, though I highly doubt you'll like the ending for a very big reason.

**Oobe:** I laughed when I saw your comment. Just read the next chapter.

**wasu:** You'll really love Ron in the next chapter!

**Rumpleteaze:** A lot is going to happen in the next chapter.

**sballLuvr5:** Well, you'll have a lot of _constructive criticism_ for the next chapter's review.

**smore4u1:** Don't worry, the next chapter will clear up a lot, hopefully.

**nextbestthing:** Oh, well, I think the suspense ends abruptly along with everything else in the next chapter.

**lucy2525:** Well, that update wasn't very frequent but I'm glad you like them anyway! :-)

**hprbdfan:** Thank you. I'm hoping that the next chapter is... _interesting_ for you.

**On to the next chapter!**


	8. Resurrected

_The most destructive element in the human mind is fear. Fear creates aggressiveness._ **-Dorothy Thompson**

* * *

Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace and immediately moved behind her couch, looking around frantically

Hermione stumbled out of the fireplace and immediately moved behind her couch, looking around frantically. The front door was open but other than that, nothing had been disturbed. Biting her lip, she cautiously moved to her bedroom and peered in.

"What are you doing here, Hermione?" she asked herself quietly before going into her bedroom. "What are you looking for?"

She looked around her room. She knew he wanted information…

"Oh no…"

She rushed to her closet and began yanking boxes out of it. Boxes that were supposed to be sent to Ron's apartment….

She shook her head, trying to stay focused.

_Where was it?_

"It's not in there, Hermione."

She whirled around and gasped.

"Oh my God…"

The man standing at her door smiled.

"It's nice to see you again," he said, moving into the room and closing the door behind him. Hermione backed up a bit.

"It's you…"

Many years ago, during the War, Hermione had the opportunity to attend a few sessions in which the man before her taught Muggleborns in particular a way to protect themselves from Death Eaters. The man hadn't shown any interest in annihilating purebloods. He had actually worked with several of them during the war. The two of them had grown to be quite good friends during the war. He taught her so much. But after the war she had received word that he had died.

Hermione mentally cursed herself for being so stupid. The whole time, she was thinking it was some crazed man from the speeches.

John Doe wasn't an alias. It was a real name.

"I don't understand…" she whispered. "How… how are you…?"

The man smirked at her and moved a little closer.

"I'm actually feeling great, but that's not what you meant is it?"

For a moment Hermione just stared at him, then she looked around the bedroom.

"Where is it, John?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"I'm disappointed, Hermione. I would have thought that you have asked why I was doing what I was doing. You obviously thought I was not the person to do such a thing," he remarked.

"Most of that stems from the fact that you were supposed to be dead," she replied coolly, looking over at the windows quickly.

John followed her eyes and smiled.

"Some of my people are out side, Hermione, you won't get four meters before being shot of the roof," he said.

She sized him up carefully, noting the wand he had at his side before she spoke.

"Why are you doing this then?" she asked.

He moved a little more closer. She backed up into one of the boxes and bit her lip.

"Simple, Hermione. Do you know how Muggleborns get their magic?"

Hermione remained quiet.

"Oh come now, Hermione. You discovered a lot more up there. You know what I'm talking about," he whispered.

"We get our abilities from the unusual magical surges from the mountains," she whispered.

"Exactly," he said. "That means you know why Mr. Orwell didn't come back as a pureblood."

Hermione moved away from the closet and inched over to her desk.

"You haven't answered my question, John," she responded, not wanting to think about Orwell.

"You haven't answered mine."

"I just-"

"Oh please, Hermione. Magical surges? I thought I taught you better than that!" he said. "You know very well that it was not just random burst of magic that gave Muggle parents a magical baby girl."

"Why are you kidnapping purebloods, John?" Hermione demanded, going through the drawers frantically.

"It's not in there either, Hermione," he told her. She looked up at him.

"Where is it?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. He then pulled out his wand and flicked it at the object, making it grow bigger until he had a steel basin in his hand. Silvery liquid moved around in it quickly.

"Now, Hermione… give me the memory and I won't kill Charlie or his wife," he told her.

"Why do you want them dead?" Hermione asked.

John smiled.

"You know… the one thing I loved about you was your commitment to your friends... I never realized until now how naïve you were though…" he said, setting the basin down and coming over to where she stood. "The wizarding world will never appreciate the achievements of Muggleborns until purebloods are gone."

Hermione stared at him in shock.

"What?"

"Oh come on, Hermione, you know it's true! In the papers, it's always the purebloods that are being nominated for this and awarded this high position! You know that Muggleborns will never be given a chance until all of the purebloods are disposed of. The only place to really do that is place where Muggleborns are given their power." He smiled. "You see Hermione… I don't want them dead… I just want them so far removed from their current status that they won't have _any_ recollection of their former life."

Tears came to her eyes. She had walked right into a trap. She had done exactly what he wanted her to do…. She had come to him…

"And you need me to take you there…" she finished, paralyzed by what she had just done. He nodded, reaching up and touching her face.

"You see, Hermione. Things aren't as difficult as that Weasley family is making it. If Ron had just rolled over and died, we wouldn't be going through this right now."

Hermione shook her head.

"I'm not going to help you do this, John. There are a lot of innocent people your hurting," she hissed.

Suddenly John's good-natured demeanor disappeared, replaced by an outraged flame.

"Innocent!" he growled, grabbing her neck. "_Innocent_! Is Draco Malfoy innocent?! Is Severus Snape innocent?!"

"Snape joined us," Hermione gasped, trying to pry his hands off of her.

John's eyes only grew angrier.

"That man will _never_ be one of us! None of those men and women are innocent! Even your sweet husband is guilty of killing people!" he bellowed.

"He did his job!" Hermione hissed.

John suddenly lost it. He grabbed her by the head and brought it down brutally to the corner of the desk. Hermione screamed out in pain and fell to the floor, the side of her face bleeding.

"THE DEATH EATERS WERE DOING A JOB AS WELL!"

Hermione could feel herself fading in and out of consciousness.

"Then blow up Azkaban," she mumbled, blinking through the blood.

He laughed.

Hermione felt like throwing up.

"I would have, but Malfoy doesn't deserve such a glorious ending. Besides, there are a host of purebloods outside of Azkaban that deserve to die as well," he replied.

"No one deserves to die," her whispered, looking up at him.

John shook his head in disappointment.

"You know, Hermione… I was hoping we would get along a lot more than this. I was also hoping I wouldn't have to use force to get the memories out of you, but look where we are… you're married to one of the men I'm trying to kill. I guess I'll just have to kill you too…"

He reached down and grabbed a fistful of Hermione's hair and began to drag her to the bed. Hermione tried to tug herself away but he kicked her in the stomach, causing her to rollover in agony.

"Listen, Hermione… we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. I suggest you take the easy way, because I'd hate to have to spill too much blood in this flat," he snarled into her ear.

Hermione whispered something.

"What was that, Hermione?"

She looked up at him.

"I said… I hope it's your blood," she gasped out before swinging one of her arms around. John cried out in pain as the blade hit his thigh. He fell away from her and Hermione quickly moved.

She grabbed the basin and stumbled out of the bedroom. She scrambled down the small hallway to the bathroom and almost made it in when she screamed in pain. The blade she had plunged into John was now pinning her hand to the bathroom door. She screamed again when she pulled it out and looked behind her to see John standing at the bedroom door, clutching his leg.

"That wasn't nice Hermione," he growled, moving towards her. Terrified, Hermione ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, locking it, though she knew it wouldn't do any use. She yanked open the cabinet and prayed that it was still there.

"Hermione!"

The door blasted open and she whirled around. John shook his head in pity.

"There's no room for purebloods anymore. I'm doing everyone a favor, Hermione," he said.

Hermione lifted up the basin.

"Here's a favor," she said before dropping it. It smashed at her feet before she grabbed the small empty bottle in the cabinet. Three seconds later she was gone.

* * *

Ginny watched Ron pace the living room floor like a caged animal. She wished Harry was there, but unfortunately with the Floo system out and since owling was forbidden, they hadn't been able to contact him.

She bit her lip and prayed that Hermione was okay, wherever she was.

A sudden crash upstairs awoke everyone from their thoughts. They could hear cries of pain as someone tumbled down the stairs and they all gasped when they saw Hermione smash into the ground. Before they could get to her, she struggled to her feet. Her face was bleeding and blood was smeared all over her clothes.

"Hermione-"

"Where the bloody hell were you?!"

Everyone stared in shock and horror at Ron, who seemed to have missed the fact that his wife was bleeding. The terror that had originally been circulating through Hermione was immediately replaced by rage.

"WHAT?"

"You heard me, where were you?" Ron demanded, marching over to her.

Hermione glared at him, all injuries forgotten.

"I went to my flat! John was trying to get the memories of my time at the mountains!" she snapped angrily.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?! You could have been killed! You don't just run off when you want to!"

Hermione's eyes grew.

"I'm standing here bleeding and all you can ask is what's wrong with me?! John was there, Ron! He was there!"

"I don't give a rat's arse if he was there! _YOU _SHOULDN'T HAVE!" he bellowed.

"Ronald Weasley, what is wrong with you?" Mrs. Weasley demanded, shocked at her son's behavior.

"Piss off!" Ron shot, glaring at his mother before turning back to Hermione. "You should have known better than to just run off like that!"

"It's not like you would have noticed if Fred hadn't of told you!"

Something flooded Ron and he took a step closer to Hermione, forcing her to back up into the wall.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he snarled.

"Ron, leave her alone!" Ginny shouted, afraid that he would do something horrible.

"He could have killed me and you wouldn't have cared," she snapped.

"Maybe if he killed you I wouldn't have to deal with your mouth any more," he retorted.

Hermione slapped him and he reached to grab her, but stopped short.

"Oh my God…" Mrs. Weasley whispered, grabbing Mr. Weasley's arm for support.

Hermione had Ron's knife a hairsbreadth from his neck. Both of them were glaring at each other.

"What are you going to do?" he growled.

"I'm beginning to think that John's right… maybe there is no room for you," she whispered, her whole body shaking from pain, fear and anger.

Ron moved.

Fred and George, who had been inching closer to the couple, moved faster.

They grabbed Ron and yanked him back before he could reach Hermione.

"You bitch!" Ron screamed. "WHY DON'T YOU GO JOIN HIM THEN?!" he bellowed, struggling against his two brothers.

Hermione remained at the wall. She had stopped shaking.

"GO TO HELL!"

"YOU FIRST!"

"RON STOP IT!" Fred yelled.

Ron suddenly whirled around and struck Fred straight in the face.

"Don't you dare speak to me!" Ron screamed. "It's your fault she left in the first place!"

The others tried to grab him but he shoved them all away before turning to leave. As he passed Hermione, she tightened her grip on the knife. The look that he gave her caused her to shrink into the wall, quailing in fear. Then he went up the stairs and disappeared. They heard a door slam shut and a cry of rage rip from his lips.

All eyes fell on Hermione.

She continued to stare at the spot where Ron had just been standing. The knife dropped from her hands.

"Ron…" escaped from her lips and then she crumpled to the ground, her wracked sobs torturing the man who had caused them upstairs.

**A/N: ... well... here come the reviews...**


	9. The Space In Between Us

__

There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief.

-**Aeschylus**

* * *

Hermione stared blankly out the window, well aware of the green eyes on her. She didn't bother turning around to face him. She just continued to look out of the bedroom window.

"He went over to Sirius's old place?" she asked.

Harry nodded.

"Yes…"

"Oh…"

That was all she said for the rest of Harry's time in the room.

It had been a week since the incident and things definitely had not gotten any better. Aside from the fact that Ron and Hermione were no longer speaking to each other, which in some cases seemed better than the alternative, more families were disappearing. Fleur's whole family, who had come to London for some business affairs, had disappeared in the short period of two days, shortly followed after some members of the Ministry of Magic, including Umbridge, not that anyone cared. To the former, Fleur was a wreck and Bill was finding it hard to deal with her along with the Ministry's constant need for him to be there.

Moody had given Harry some grace by letting him work at the Burrow, so that he could keep an eye on Hermione, who had not shown any emotion since the fight. They had gotten the information Hermione had gleaned from her moments at her flat with Doe, but did not have enough information to do anything. Harry was constantly reaching dead ends. Since Doe had been presumed dead for the past few years and had worked with the Order during the War, there was nothing to pull up against him. No aliases, no known associates outside of the Order, no family left to speak of and no connection to any of the radical Muggleborn groups who had been violent during the days of the War. The man was a ghost…

A shift in Hermione's position brought Harry back to the present and back to a reality that was starting to disintegrate from within.

Everyone knew that Ron was killing himself over what he had let happen that night, so they had decided not to say anything more on the subject. Not that it mattered. Ron moved over to Sirius's old house to stay with Harry and Remus early the morning after.

Harry sighed, feeling very sick all of a sudden as a dark thought entered his mind.

What would happen if Ron and Hermione decided that it wasn't working?

Ever since they had been brought back here, things had gone terribly wrong. Their marriage wasn't even a marriage anymore… it was just… it was just a word to explain why they had not yet killed each other.

The events of that night made Harry shiver.

The knife Ginny had told him Hermione had held to Ron's neck while he threatened bodily harm to her as well…

The words that were shot at the other were just as painful as the bleeding wounds on Hermione's person….

"Harry…"

"Yes," he answered, coming back to the present as Hermione continued to stare out the window. She remained silent for a moment, contemplating the words she was about to say.

"I think I've failed…" she murmured, turning to face him. "I think I've finally failed…"

* * *

Ron heard the door open behind him but didn't bother turning around.

"Unless you're here to obliterate me, go away," he whispered in a dead voice.

Ginny bit her lip, hating to hear her brother like this. She knew he was agonizing himself over what had happened and what he had done to make it worse.

"Ron, you need to talk to someone," she told him, approaching the bed he was sitting on. "You can't keep this all inside."

He didn't answer. He just sat there and let her come around and sit beside him.

Ginny's heart broke at the condition her brother as in. His eyes were dead… haunted… he was completely ashen… he was crying… He looked as if he had not slept in days…

"Ron-"

He pulled away from her, closing his eyes in pain and exhaustion. They sat there in silence for a while. She jumped when he spoke.

"I… I promised myself that… that I would never hurt her…"

"Ron…"

She didn't know what to say… She _couldn't_ say that it _wasn't_ his fault. They both knew that wasn't true…

"These things happen, Ron… it's been hard for both of you. Especially with all that's been going on," she whispered.

Ron opened his eyes and looked over at her.

"Do you honestly think that Hermione will forgive me?" he asked. He didn't want to hear a concrete answer. He already knew it. He just wanted to know if Ginny was trying to persuade him that things could possibly get better.

"Ron-"

"Answer the question, Ginny," he whispered firmly.

Ginny hesitated and he knew that even she didn't believe that it could get better.

He laughed bitterly.

"I thought so…"

They both fell into a suffocating silence as Ron once again began to drown in his own self-loathing. He had hurt Hermione in the worst way possible and now… all he could do was hide here and hope the world would swallow him up. He wished he could just forget everything that had happened since he had answered that hotel room door.

"I was always the reason she cried… I am _still_ the reason she cries…" he murmured, more to himself than to Ginny.

"Everyone makes mistakes, Ron," she responded.

"My mistakes hurt the people I love, Ginny," he whispered.

"Ron, you can't do this… your guilt is going to kill you…"

He suddenly stood up.

"Then take it away! Damn it, Ginny, take it away!" he screamed before leaning against the wall, exhausted. His chest was heaving as he spoke. "I… I can't… I can't protect her…"

Ginny stood up and touched his arm.

"Ron, please… you love Hermione… you would do anything for her," she whispered.

Ron looked down at his sister.

"Everything I've said and done ever since we came back to the Burrow has pushed her farther away… and no matter how hard I try… or Harry tries… or you try… and no matter what you or anyone else says… she's not coming back…"

The fire had gone out in Ron… the passion had fled along with everything else. Ginny looked into his eyes and all she saw was defeat…

* * *

Harry looked up and saw Ginny enter the room, quietly sitting down on the bed beside him. He studied her for a moment, taking in her pale features and tearstained face.

"He's given up," he whispered.

She nodded painfully, looking over at him.

"I… I don't think… that there's anything else…" she bit her lip and tried to find the words that were hurting her so much. "I don't think that there's anything else we can do…"

Harry placed an arm around her and she leaned against him, breathing deeply to keep from crying.

"What happens now?" she asked quietly.

Harry remained silent, unsure of how to answer her question.

If Ron and Hermione did separate, what would happen?

* * *

Hermione watched the fog move in across the grass, letting the tears once again fall. She knew Harry had meant well by watching her for most of the morning and quite frankly that whole week, but she just didn't want to be around him or anyone else.

She closed her eyes and cursed herself, wiping angrily at the tears as they fell faster. She opened them again and looked down at her bare feet.

She didn't want to cry for him. She didn't want to waste any more tears over what he had done to her. She didn't want to hurt because of him…

_Yet here you are, Hermione. You're sitting here by the window, mimicking a Muggle movie as you pine away,_ she told herself bitterly. She wiped away more tears.

Why?

That was the _real_ question.

Why the bloody hell was she sitting up here feeling like she had failed in some way?

_He_ was the one who had ruined them! _He_ was the one who had yelled at her and _he_ was the one who was hurting her even if he had never touched her, though she was quite certain that there were times, especially that night, where he would have hurt her physically if given the chance.

She closed her eyes and took a shallow breath. She got up and walked over to the small desk beside the bed she was using. Pulling open one of the drawers, she pulled out three envelopes. Opening the one on the bottom, she slipped out the first letter and began to read it.

_I really don't know how to start this letter. If you've seen who it's from, you probably didn't even bother reading it, but if you have… I want to say that_

That was all it said.

Hermione assumed that, being the first of the three, he had chickened out and had decided not to send the letter at all. She was still uncertain as to why he ended up sending it anyway.

She placed that letter beside her and opened the second letter.

_Hermione,_

_I… I know I've hurt you… and… and there's nothing I could say that could possibly take back every single word that I've said since we came to the Burrow. We've spent days in silence and last night… _

_I've never said I'm sorry… even in Hogwarts, I've never said I'm sorry… Saying it now wouldn't help. _

_I think last night was… I think last night proved that…_

At this point, the tears in Hermione's eyes fell harder, mixing with the tearstains of the writer.

_I can't say it, Hermione… no matter how much I know that it's true, I cannot say it…_

Hermione opened the last letter, read the one sentence and let the letter fall from her fingers to the floor.

_I can't protect you…_

When she had read that letter six days ago, she had cried.

Now, all she could feel was the crushing silence that seemed to tear them farther apart.

She thought of the wedding and of the sweet words he had whispered into her ears as they danced slowly. She thought of the wedding night and his burning fingertips caressing her… comforting her…

_Stop it, Hermione! You can't think about that! You can't!_

Closing her eyes, she tried to block out those images but that only made them clearer…

"_You look amazing," Ron said for the twentieth time that evening, holding her close. Hermione blushed and poked him in the chest._

"_No matter how many times you say that, we're still going to keep standing here," she whispered._

_Ron grinned._

"_What if I told you that your dress is beautiful?" he asked._

_She pecked him on the lips._

"_Then maybe I should keep it on then," she suggested, looking down at it before looking back up at him. "I've never seen you stare at me as much as you have since I've worn this dress."_

_Ron leaned into her ear so that no one else could hear him._

"_Oh no, the dress has to go… tonight," he murmured, causing her to shiver. Her hand slipped up to his neck, keeping him close._

"_Tonight?"_

_Ron nodded, pulling away so that their lips were barely touching. Hermione could feel her knees wobble under his intense blue gaze. For the first time in all her life, she felt completely and utterly safe._

Hermione squeezed her eyes, trying to erase the memories that only three weeks ago had had so much more meaning. Suddenly she was bombarded by a memory which she would have rather forgotten at that moment.

_She couldn't take it any more. She needed to feel his lips again and he seemed to know that, for he leaned back in and kissed her stomach, his lips moving up until they were hovering over her lips, taunting her. His hands were resting firmly on either side of her hips, pinning her between him and the soft sheets that cried out their names._

"_Hello," he whispered, a lopsided grin appearing on his features as he looked into Hermione's eyes._

"_Hey," she managed to say. She couldn't breathe anymore. Everything about him was crushing her very being and she didn't want it to stop._

She gasped and clutched her heart in pain, the memory too much for her to handle. She could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks but she couldn't stop them. She gasped again when another wave of images flooded her mind.

"_I'm not going to help you do this, John. There are a lot of innocent people your hurting," she hissed._

_Suddenly John's good-natured demeanor disappeared, replaced by an outraged flame._

"_Innocent!" he growled, grabbing her neck. "Innocent! Is Draco Malfoy innocent?! Is Severus Snape innocent?!"_

"_Snape joined us," Hermione gasped, trying to pry his hands off of her._

_John's eyes only grew angrier._

"_That man will never be one of us! None of those men and women are innocent! Even your sweet husband is guilty of killing people!" he bellowed._

"_He did his job!" Hermione hissed._

_John suddenly lost it. He grabbed her by the head and brought it down brutally to the corner of the desk. Hermione screamed out in pain and fell to the floor, the side of her face bleeding._

"_THE DEATH EATERS WERE DOING A JOB AS WELL!"_

Suddenly the memory switched to the event that occurred only minutes after this one.

"_What are you going to do?" he growled. _

"_I'm beginning to think that John's right… maybe there is no room for you," she whispered, her whole body shaking from pain, fear and anger. _

_Ron moved. _

_Fred and George, who had been inching closer to the couple, moved faster. _

_They grabbed Ron and yanked him back before he could reach Hermione. _

"_You bitch!" Ron screamed. "WHY DON'T YOU GO JOIN HIM THEN?!"_

A sob escaped Hermione's lips. Even after all the things he had said to her, all she could think about were those words she had said to him… the hate she had felt towards him in that moment…

"Maybe there is no room for you…" she murmured subconsciously. "Maybe there is no room for you…"

She repeated the phrase over and over again, hating herself with every recitation. The pain seemed to grow, spreading throughout her entire body. The crushing weight of her words suffocated her as she continued to speak those ghastly words.

"Maybe there is no room for you…" she whispered.

The words from the letters and the words she had spoken collided in her mind, making it hard for her to breathe, but still she gasped out the words.

"Maybe there is no room for you…" she said, louder than before. "Maybe there is no room for you."

She fell to her knees, tears spilling out on to the cold floor as she struggled to breathe through the stabbing pain and realization of what had happened a week ago.

"_You should have known better than to just run off like that!"_

"_It's not like you would have noticed if Fred hadn't of told you!"_

_Something flooded Ron and he took a step closer to Hermione, forcing her to back up into the wall. _

"_What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he snarled._

"_Ron, leave her alone!" Ginny shouted, afraid that he would do something horrible. _

"_He could have killed me and you wouldn't have cared," she snapped. _

"_Maybe if he killed you I wouldn't have to deal with your mouth any more."_

Hermione let out another pathetic sob.

Had he meant what he had said?

"Maybe there is no room for you," she whispered, letting out a moan at the same time and clutching her head in agony as another image consumed her.

"_GO TO HELL!"_

"_YOU FIRST!"_

"MAYBE THERE IS NO ROOM FOR YOU!" Hermione screamed, grabbing the lamp from the nightstand and hurling it across the room, shrieking in pain before slamming her fist against the window. She gasped and pulled her hand to her, blood sprinkling onto the ground as she moved her hand. She stared at her hand for a moment then out the shattered window.

"Hermione? Hermione are you okay?" came Ginny's concerned voice from the other side of the locked door. Ginny would figure out that it was locked soon.

Hermione ignored that.

Instead, she climbed through the window, ignoring the broken glass that pierced her skin and brought forth more blood. She stood on the ledge for a moment then looked to her left and saw the drain.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Ginny asked again, pounding on the door.

As Hermione moved to the drain, she heard the doorknob jiggle and then silence. Hermione hoisted herself up the drain onto the second ledge near the window of the twins. She glanced in and saw Angelina moving around.

"Hermione!"

She looked behind her to see Harry and Ginny leaning out of the broken window and staring up at her. She turned again to see Angelina looking out of the window at her after hearing Harry's voice.

Hermione moved past the window and around the ledge corner, out of their sight.

"Hermione, be careful!" Ginny yelled as Harry moved out onto the ledge as well, careful not to cut himself. He could already see where Hermione had.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Harry asked as he pulled himself onto the second ledge. By this time, Fred, Angelina and George were sticking their heads out of the window.

"What's going on?" Angelina asked, trying to catch a glimpse of Hermione as she moved around the roof of the Burrow.

Harry shook his head, glancing over the edge to the bottom.

"I don't know," he replied, moving along the ledge and around the corner. She wasn't there. For one horrifying moment a terrifying thought past through his mind and he looked over the edge. She wasn't there either, much to his relief. He looked up to the other ledge above him and tried to see the top of the house, but couldn't see her.

"Hermione!" he called, moving to another drain and hoisting himself up to the final ledge. "Hermi-"

He caught sight of her standing at the edge at the back of the Burrow. Her back was facing him. She was shaking.

He approached her cautiously, watching her body movements attentively in case he had to lunge to stop her from jumping.

"Hermione," he whispered.

She jerked and turned to face him as if awoken from a trance. Tears fell from her eyes and down her pale skin. Blood dripped from her hand into the small dark pool around her cut feet.

"I shouldn't have gone," she whispered. "I shouldn't have gone to my flat."

Harry shook his head.

"Ron still shouldn't have done what he did."

To Harry's surprise, Hermione started laughing. It was a cold laugh that left a chill down his spine and forced him to think that this conversation was about more than just what had happened a week ago.

Hermione moved closer to the edge so that her toes no longer touched the tiles. Harry moved closer to her.

"You _obviously_ didn't hear what I said… I provoked him," she whispered, wiping at her tears and looking around as if she were talking to the sky and not just him. "Everyone knew how wound up he was. You knew how much this was exhausting him and hurting him and _everyone_ knew that he would crack sooner or later… That night wasn't a surprise to anyone which is why no said anything to him when he left! You all knew it would happen…"

"Hermione-"

"I told him that there was no room for him, Harry!" she suddenly screamed, waving her arms in the air frantically, her eyes wild with pain. Harry jerked but didn't move as he watched her teeter on the edge for a moment before becoming stable again. She seemed angry with herself as she continued to speak. "I said that Doe was right and that there was no room for him! What type of person am I?!"

Harry was at a loss for words. He had not been there when it had happened, so he had been under the knowledge that Ron had been the one to snap without a reason, but after hearing Hermione's words he began to question Ron's guilt in this whole thing.

Hermione seemed to know what Harry was thinking because she laughed again and pointed at him.

"Now you're doubting my innocence, aren't you…" she whispered before looking over the edge again. "Everyone's been saying, 'Poor Hermione… Ron's such a _bastard_…'" She gave a short faint laugh. "Ron and I should have given up on this marriage three weeks ago… maybe then we wouldn't be here."

"Don't say that, Hermione. Ron still loves you and I know you still love him."

Hermione closed her eyes and let more tears fall.

"I know Harry… but I shouldn't… I shouldn't love him…"

Harry felt his heart clench painfully. He didn't want this to happen. He had spent the last few years after the war trying to unearth the love he saw between Ron and Hermione and place it in the space between him and Ginny, but now… if that love… that amazing love that had brought the two through war, pain and loss was over… what would happen to him and Ginny?

"Hermione… Hermione, come inside… we don't have to do this," he told her.

Hermione frowned.

"We?"

Harry opened his arms wide and leaned his head to the side.

"You jump I follow."

Hermione gasped and cried more.

"Ron said the same thing…"

Harry nodded and held out his hand.

"I know."

Hermione bit her lip and began to turn around. Then her foot slipped on the wet tile and she fell backwards, screaming.

"HERMIONE!"

**A/N: Ahhhh yess... the sweet smell of... well... of something... Hope you enjoy! (A lot of bad vibes about Ron)**

**ThEnAmEsGiGi:** When I started doing this, I thought making them fight was actually easier than making them love each other, but that's actually not true I found out. I find it hard to find something for them to fight over that's incredibly serious, but at the same time extremely engaging. That last chapter was _very_ hard to make. This chapter was difficult for different reasons.

**wasu:** I know many people won't like Hermione's "self-reflection/selfdoubt/Ron's-not-the-guilty-party" thing, but I personally think that she's/I've got a point. Maybe? I don't know. Maybe I've just turned off about half the readers. shrugs Been doing this for more than two years. Who cares if I upset readers now? ;-)

**ronandmion4ever:** It took me ages to write that scene for the simple reason that I didn't know how to make Ron seem like he had finally snapped. I mean if she had just come back without any wounds, the effect certainlly would not have been the same. But I didn't know how to bring him in. That whole scene was difficult to write, but I think I got my point across. Ron's snapped. (Not crazy "snapped") You know what I mean.

**sballLuvr5:** Like I said to **ronandmion4ever, **I wanted to show something more than just Ron and Hermione getting into the ultimate arguement, but I wanted to show the strain that had been on Ron for the past two weeks or so finally getting to him. Glad you liked the chapter though!

**nextbestthing:** That's not the only thing Hermione's going to need help with, after a fall like that. If she survives of course.

**charma10:** I want everyone to know that you are the one to blame if Hermione does die! :-) Who knows, the whole dying thing's not that farfetched!

**lucy2525:** Intense keeps people interested!

**hprbdfan:** (Laughing so hard right now!) I am so sorry, but I've been reading all of these reviews and it seems as if everyone is bipolar. "Ron's such a jerk and should die!" "Loved the chapter, it was so nice!" It's sooooooo funny!

**Rumpleteaze:** Well, as long as you like it, that's okay!

**Rashel Quinn:** It was rather pratish of him wasn't it... Well, if Hermione doesn't die, I'll think about reconciling the whole thing... or I'll just kill John, divorce the two and everyone else lives a miserable life... I like the second one, to be quite frank. :-)

**smore4u1:** Well, Like I said to the others, you have think of the circumstances and pressure Ron's been under in the past two or so weeks. He's slowly losing his wife, he can't see her as often as he would like, they fight like hell when they _do_ see each other, he's working all day and most nights, his family members are disappearing, the man he's after is taunting him by sending letters to his wife, the Ministry of Magic is pressuring him and his family for information and his wife just runs off without a single thought for her safety and it's effect on him and others. I don't know about you, but I'd be _pretty_ pissed if she ran off. But that's just me. I understand how all of you are seeing this, believe me I do, I wrote thing remember. But Hermione didn't exactly do anything to help the already boiling situation by saying what she did. That's all I'm saying.

As for John, don't worry. You'll find out a lot more about him. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one!

**Oobe:** Well, as long as you've given me puppy dog eyes. I'll try to update ASAP.

**Sorry guys, I don't have a second chapter ready so I can't really give you a chapter tease. This type of story is something I need to think about, not a spur of the moment. R/R!**


	10. The Last Night

_Ah, to think how thin the veil that lies Between the pain of hell and Paradise._ **-George William Russell ("A.E")**

* * *

"Hermione… Hermione, come inside… we don't have to do this," he told her.

Hermione frowned.

"We?"

Harry opened his arms wide and leaned his head to the side.

"You jump I follow."

Hermione gasped and cried more.

"Ron said the same thing…"

Harry nodded and held out his hand.

"I know."

Hermione bit her lip and began to turn around. Then her foot slipped on the wet tile and she fell backwards, screaming.

"HERMIONE!"

Harry lunged for her and managed to grab her hand, but her momentum yanked him over the edge and the only thing keeping them from falling was his hand clutching the side.

"HARRY!" she screamed in terror, hanging painfully. Harry had grabbed the hand that she had used to break the window.

Harry tried to pull himself up, but Hermione cried out in pain and he dropped back.

"HARRY!"

This voice didn't belong to Hermione and he looked around to see Ginny along with the rest of the family on the lawn, staring up at them in horror. To Harry's surprise Ron was down there as well. Hermione had not noticed as yet.

"Hermione fell!" he called down.

"Bill's going up to help!" Mr. Weasley called, watching the two hang from the roof.

Ron, though he didn't say a word, had gone deathly white as he watched Harry try to hold Hermione up.

Harry was very aware now that certain pieces of glass had not been removed from Hermione's hand and it was now digging painfully into his skin. The blood that was pouring out of Hermione's hand was making it hard for him to hold her as well and Hermione realized that when he suddenly gasped in pain and she slipped out to her fingertips.

"HARRY!" she cried.

"I can't hold on!" he told her. Bill appeared at the edge and took Harry's hand.

"Up we go," he said, trying to pull them both up. As he tried to do that, Alicia, who was standing beside her fiancé, George, noticed something coming their way. She squinted then nudged George.

"What is that?" she asked.

George turned to see and shrugged.

"It looks like a bird, Lici," he said, looking up to see Bill's progress with Harry and Hermione.

Alicia shook her head.

"I don't think so, George. It's coming to fast…"

Suddenly two more appeared out of no where and now Alicia was convinced that it wasn't just a bird.

"George," she snapped.

Their little conversation had drawn the attention of Mr. Weasley, who looked at where Alicia was pointing and frowned.

"That look like-"

"NOOOOOO!"

Everyone looked up at the two who were being pulled up. Harry was almost over, but Hermione was still hanging. She was the one who had screamed.

Suddenly there was a _woosh_ of air and Hermione screamed again.

"HERMIONE!"

This time it was Ron who had said her name as they watched her get yanked away from the edge by a man on a broom.

"NOOO!" she screamed as they peeled away with her.

Ron took off for the broom shed, grabbed one and shot off after them.

* * *

Hermione struggled with the man who had grabbed her before he hit her in the head with the side of his wand, dazing her and quieting her effectively.

"They're coming, Cal!" another man called above the wind.

The man who had Hermione looked behind him and saw five brooms racing after them.

"Keep going," he growled out, speeding up as they moved just above the trees.

* * *

Harry squinted and saw Hermione go limp on the broom.

"We need to hurry!" he called. "They can't fly all the way to where ever their going and they no that! There must be some sort of checkpoint!"

Ron only sped up, desperate to reach them before they reached their goal.

Harry began to wonder what Ron was doing here in the first place. Why had he come over to the Burrow?

"Look out!" Fred shouted and Harry swerved out of the way of a bright white light. "They're firing at us!"

Harry just realized how close to the men they were and pulled out his own wand.

"We have to be careful! We could hit Hermione," he called.

George groaned.

"It's starting to rain!"

* * *

Hermione could see the trees rushing past her and could see flashes of light. She also felt the rain hit her as they flew above the woods, trying to ditch the five men who had come to rescue her. She couldn't see who they were though.

There was another flash and one of the brooms caught on fire and floundered for a moment before heading for the ground.

"NO!" she screamed before struggling again. The man who was holding her, Cal, could not use his wand to silence her and get rid of the men who were firing at them as well. They struggled as they continued to fly, moving dangerously close to the treetops.

"Ron! Ron move!" Bill screamed, pointing to where Hermione was fighting with her assailant as the broom began to teeter precariously. Ron gave the broom one last burst of speed and found himself side by side with the two, who had not yet realized that he was there.

Above them the clouds grew dark and there were small flashes of light.

"HEY!" Ron screamed above the deafening thunder as the rain suddenly poured down harder.

That distracted Cal for a moment. Hermione lunged for his wand and four things happened.

Hermione got the wand.

The man fell off his broom.

The man fell onto Ron's broom.

Hermione lost control of the broom she was suddenly operator off and collided into Ron's broom.

This chain of events sent the three crashing into the trees. The man dropped off Ron's broom right before Ron smashed into a large tree and crumpled to the ground. The broom Hermione had been on hurtled into a branch and shattered. Hermione wasn't on it. She had hit the branch before and was now hanging from it, looking down at Ron's limp form.

"RON!" she screamed over the lightening that illuminated the woods briefly before plunging them back into a very dark landscape. Directly below her something moved and she could see the man who had grabbed her moving towards Ron in a staggered fashion, still dazed from his fall.

"RON! WAKE UP!" she screamed again. The man heard her that time and looked up to see where she was. Lightening flashed again and he saw her. Forgetting Ron, he headed back for the tree she was in and looked around the tree. For a moment she didn't know why then she looked down at her hand and realized that she had dropped the wand she had taken from him. She frantically looked at the sky, hoping that one of the others would circle around and look for them through the rain. There was another boom of thunder followed by a flash and she could see him bend down and pick something up before tossing it away. She looked back over at Ron, who still had not moved.

Wincing, she pulled herself up to straddle the large branch. She clutched her stomach in pain and continued to look through the rain to find a hint of anyone flying above them.

_CREEAAAAAK!_

Hermione screamed and nearly fell from the branch when the three branches beside her exploded from a shot fired from below. She was hanging by one arm and tried to pull herself back up. There was another explosion and the branch split, causing her to fall and hit a few more branches before she managed to grab another. Cal below let out a cry of rage and shot of two more curses which missed. The rain howled through the trees and the thunder rolled on through the dark clouds.

Hermione heard Cal say something then heard a thud. She looked down from her hanging position and saw Ron hit the man again with a rather large branch. He grabbed the Cal's wand and looked up at Hermione.

"HOLD ON!" he shouted above the crack of lightening. He was about to say something else when he looked beyond her and paused. Hermione looked up as well and saw one of the other men who had snatched her hovering above the trees, staring down at her.

"RON!" she screamed as he dived down for her.

Ron shouted something and a red light shot past her and hit the tree branch near the man on the broom and he pulled up, not able to maneuver through the branches carefully to get to her.

"HERMIONE!"

She looked down at Ron and saw him point his wand at her.

"THIS IS GOING TO HURT!" he screamed before shouting a spell she didn't recognize. The next thing she knew she was falling through the branches, screaming. The man with the broom burst through the branches and zoomed after her as she fell.

She crashed into Ron, who cried out in pain as they fell to the ground together, but managed to pull has hand out from under her and point it at the man racing towards them through the trees.

"_BOMBARDA_!" he screamed and the limbs surrounding the man exploded, causing him to smash into the ground painfully. Ron stood up and helped Hermione up to her feet before pulling her along through the woods.

"Come on!" he shouted, tugging her by her hand. Hermione cried out in agony and fell into the muddy forest bed. Ron ran back to her and knelt down beside her.

"What is it?" he asked urgently.

She grabbed her ankle.

"My ankle," she gasped out.

Ron looked behind them then picked her up quickly and ran as fast as he could while ignoring the searing pain that was shooting up his leg from his crash. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her and looked behind him to see the man from the broom hobbling behind them at a quick pace. The wind was howling louder as Ron moved across the ground, stumbling over roots and rocks as lightening occasionally lit his way. Hermione could see a stream ahead of them and looked up, hoping to see someone.

"ARG!" Ron cried out when the ground exploded beside him and sent them tumbling into the stream. He pulled out the wand and shot off a curse before scrambling over to Hermione. When he reached her, he grabbed her and swung around with his wand only to find a wand in his face.

"Drop it!" the man ordered impatiently, clutching his bleeding side in pain.

Ron glared at the man while pulling Hermione closer to him as they sat in the quickly filling stream.

"DROP IT!" he yelled and Hermione whimpered as the wand moved from Ron's face to hers.

For a moment Ron thought about lunging at the man, but with Hermione in his arms he could do no such thing and finally dropped the wand. By now the water was moving up to the banks and was pooling around his upper chest as it moved downstream rapidly. For Hermione, it was at her neck and rising.

"Stand up!" the man commanded.

"She's hurt," Ron replied grimly. Hermione felt his arm tighten on her and somehow she felt comforted by the fact that even through all of this, he still cared about her.

There was a crack of lightening and Cal waved the wand dangerously.

"STAND UP!" he screamed.

Ron helped Hermione to her feet, but still kept her pressed against him, letting the man know that he wasn't about to hand her over easily.

"Hand her over!"

"I don't think so."

There was a bright flash and suddenly a huge tree came crashing down to the stream so close to Ron and Hermione. It was all the distraction Ron needed. He pushed Hermione to the side and somehow managed to pull himself out of the stream and jump onto the man.

"RON!" Hermione screamed pulling herself up to the other side of the bank and staring at the two as they struggled, their wands discarded somewhere in the mud. She looked up at the violent sky and saw two figures hovering over them. They flew down and landed beside her, quickly dismounting.

"HARRY!" Hermione cried, pointing to where Ron and the other man were fighting. Bill, who had seen what was going on earlier, pulled out his wand and fired. There was a crack and the man fell, leaving Ron on his knees as he tried to breathe.

"RON!" Hermione screamed, staggering across the stream and grabbing him around the neck.

Bill came across as well and handed Ron his broom.

"I need to get to the Ministry," he said, grabbing the man on the ground and disapparating. Harry rushed over and grabbed both of them by the arm.

"Are you two okay?" he asked urgently. Seeing them fall had scared the hell out of him.

Ron nodded, helping Hermione onto the broom before getting on behind her.

"We need to get her back to the Burrow," he said over the sound of the thunder. Harry nodded and soon they were in the air, speeding home.

When they landed at the back door, they stumbled through it attracting the attention of those inside.

Ginny was the first to get up, rushing over to Hermione's side as Ron gingerly placed her in a chair.

"What happened? We could see the flashes of light from here!" she exclaimed.

Harry looked over at Mr. Weasley.

"Bill, Fred and George are bringing two of them to the Ministry," he said.

Ron looked up.

"Two? There were three of them!" he shouted.

Harry shook his head.

"We got to the place where you two had crashed and there was no one there. He must have left," Harry responded grimly.

Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen and immediately began fussing over the three.

"You're soaking wet, covered in mud and hurt! Now, Percy! Carry Hermione up the stairs! Harry, Ron, you two go up as well and change!" she ordered.

Hermione stopped Percy before he could get to her.

"Ron can carry me, Mrs. Weasley," she said quickly.

There was a silent pause then Ron leaned in, picked her up and carried her up the stairs without saying a word. Ginny followed Harry up the stairs.

* * *

Ron came out of the bathroom and entered his room, wearing nothing but pajama pants and carrying a couple of potions, a few bandages, a small bowl filled with something that was steaming, and a washcloth. Hermione was sitting on his old bed wearing one of Ron's old t-shirts and staring at the ground. Harry had come in quickly to get some clothes, but insisted that he needed to speak to Ginny and left the room, noticing Ron's silent glances at Hermione as he moved around the room.

Ron placed the potions down on the nightstand before kneeling down in front of her and taking her bleeding hand. Hermione watched him dip the cloth into the steaming liquid and run it over her hand, remaining silent as he did that several times until the pain disappeared. He bandaged her hand lightly and then reached down for her ankle but she pulled away, sucking in air quickly. He looked up at her for a moment then took her ankle gently. He ran his hand over it carefully, stopping when she gasped in pain.

"It's not broken," he whispered. "Just a small fracture probably."

Hermione didn't respond. He reached over and handed her one of the potions.

"It'll be better in the morning," he told her.

"What about you?" she asked.

He looked up into her eyes and she bit her lip.

Just a few days ago they had said the most unimaginable things to each other and now… she could remember what she wanted to say. She saw him tilt his head slightly to the side before he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. She didn't realize that she hadn't been breathing until she felt a small gasp escape her lips.

"What were you doing here?" she heard herself ask.

'_What were you doing here?' Really Hermione? Is that all you can come up with?_

Ron looked slightly taken back, but covered it up quickly by getting to his feet and distancing himself from her.

"I wanted to…" he paused as if reconsidering telling her why he was there. "I needed to get a few things," he said unconvincingly. He then looked over at her. "What were you doing on the roof?"

She blinked then tears came to her eyes.

"I read your letters," she whispered before looking away.

Ron felt pain grab his heart in an iron claw and squeeze. He never wanted this… he never wanted to hurt her… then why did he always manage to make her cry?

"Hermione-"

She stood up suddenly, leaning on her good leg.

"Thank you… for the potions… and… my hand…" she murmured. "I'm… I'm going to go downstairs."

With that she moved slowly out the door and disappeared. All Ron could do was stand there.

Why hadn't he stopped her?

Why hadn't he answered her?

Why hadn't he told her the truth?

Why hadn't he told her that ever since he'd left the Burrow all he could think about was her? That all he saw every time he closed his eyes were hers and that every waking moment was spent wishing he could tell her that he loved her and needed her.

Why hadn't he told her that when she wasn't there he couldn't breathe? That the world grew smaller around him and crushed him, taking what little life he had left.

Why hadn't he told her that if he could, he would take back every word he had said that night?

Why hadn't he answered her?

Suddenly something snapped inside him and he shot off out the door. The woman had just made it to the bottom of the stairs when Ron came crashing down behind her.

"Hermione!" he said breathlessly.

She turned to him and backed away, surprised and scared by his sudden reappearance. She glanced into the kitchen where a few stragglers, mainly Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, were sitting, also surprised by Ron's move down the stairs.

"What is it Ron?" she asked, backing up into the wall. She looked frightened.

"We can't keep doing this-"

Hermione shook her head, shutting her eyes as tears appeared again.

"Ron, please… this isn't the time-"

"THEN WHEN!" he roared, causing her to shrink further into the wall as the others remained in their seats, paralyzed. "For three bloody weeks I've had to keep it inside, Hermione! For three weeks I've had to deal with shit thrown at me! For three weeks I've had to stand here, hoping to only catch a glimpse of you!"

She continued to shake her head.

"Ron, please…" she begged, well aware of the audience that was not only in the kitchen but gathering upstairs in the form of Harry and Ginny.

"Hermione… for three weeks… I've… I've had to lie in bed… knowing I was everything less than a man because… because I couldn't protect you…" he whispered.

Tears ran down Hermione's cheeks and she let out a small whimper. She could feel her heart tearing in half and unimaginable pain flood through her.

"You… you promised… you promised you would be there… in the morning," she mumbled through the tears.

Ron's heart shattered. The words she spoke crashed down on him and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. All he could do was stare at her…

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment then moved around him and went upstairs. She closed the door behind her as she staggered to the bed.

There was a bang as the door was shoved open violently. Hermione whirled around in time to see a mess of red hair cross the room and suddenly lips collided with hers as she was forced against the wall. She struggled against him and shoved his head away.

"Ron-"

He grabbed her by her face and shook her.

"Shut up! Just shut up!" he yelled, glaring at her. "Every word we've spoken since we said 'I do' has been a mistake! So just _shut up_!"

Their lips met again and Hermione's world spiraled and crashed beneath her. But that didn't matter…

She was in his arms…

**A/N: I hope everyone is happy!**

**smore4u1:** Yes... maybe it is a bit OOC, but... oh well... I'm glad you enjoyed it.

**ThEnAmEsGiGi:** Or Ron will be a prick and not let Hermione say anything! :-) I'm sure that _now_ they have nothing to worry about... really...

**wasu:** Their _happy night_? When you say it like that it sounds so... weird? Well, I think I gave them back their _happy night_. :-)

**nextbestthing:** Well... technically, I didn't make her fall. She slipped. I just happened to right that she just _happened_ to be near the edge of the Burrow at the time. :)

**Rumpleteaze:** Well, he didn't exactly catch her, but he did save her from the evil men on brooms!

**charma10:** I don't know... Happy Endings don't interest me. I mean, I'll do them occasionally, but they are definitely harder to do perfectly.

**sballLuvr5:** Glad you enjoyed it! I hope you liked this one, though I'm sure that you did after reading the end!

**Sorry, no chapter tease!**


	11. Beautiful Disaster

_A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous._ **-Ingrid Bergman**

**This is the quotation I should have used for the last chapter. :-)**

_

* * *

_

Hermione stood before the mirror and stared at herself. She took a deep breath. He had, for some strange reason, asked her out. It had been four years and Harry and him had just gotten back from Auror training. She checked make up and was about to head for the kitchen when there was a knock at the door. She closed her eyes and walked to the door.

"_Hey." _

Oh Merlin, he has changed_, she thought. _

_He was much taller, making her glad she had decided to where heels. He was wearing a navy long sleeved shirt and black trousers. He smiled when he saw her. She bit her lip. _

"_I'll go get my purse," she mumbled and then ran to the kitchen. She grabbed her bag and took a deep breath. She straightened her black dress and swatted the hair out of her eyes. After entering the foyer again she grabbed her coat and they were off._

_When they got to the restaurant, he helped her into her seat and they soon ordered their food. They sat in an awkward silence until their food did arrive. _

"_So how've you been?" he asked, looking up from his drink. She smiled._

"_I've been… ok… I missed you…both of you." She added. Ron smiled; something she hadn't seen in awhile. She looked down at her food, searching for someway to ask him why he had wanted to see her._

"_Anyone new in your life?" _

_She sputtered on her salad and looked up surprised at the sudden shift in gears. She stared at him for a minute, entranced by his beautiful crystal blue eyes. She then smiled weakly. She wanted to say him but that was too… sudden… too scary…_

"_No… not yet…"_

_She tilted her head slightly. "What about you?" _

_He rolled his eyes._

"_Me… All the women I dated were either to intense about something I wanted to end or to wrapped in it all that they didn't see that it already ended," he shrugged. "I'm not the type of guy who's good with long term relationships." _

_Her heart jumped. He's single…_

_  
After they had finished their dinner, they decided to take a walk around the park near by her flat. The whole time they talked about the old days and about how life was treating them now. During that time, Hermione tried to introduce the whole dating subject again._

"_What about you?" _

_He looked up from the ground._

"_What about me?" _

_She smiled._

"_What's your idea of the right woman?" _

_He looked down, thinking. He shrugged._

"_What's your idea of the right man?"_

"_I don't know… honesty, kindness… he has to care…"_

"_About what?"_

_She looked at him._

"_I don't know." _

_He looked up at the sky._

"_Well… I think that she'd have to care about… my dreams… me… my family… my friends."_

_She stared at him, amazed._

"_Have you found anyone like that?" _

_He smiled and nodded. Her heart skipped a beat. _

_She stopped walking._

"_Once…"_

"_Who?"_

_He looked over at her and smiled. He then continued to walk again._

"_What about you?" he asked over his shoulder. She bit her lip._

_He turned around and approached her. She stepped back slightly, uncomfortable with how close he was._

"_Well?" _

_She looked into his eyes and then broke the gaze and shook her head._

"_No one."_

_They started to head back to the flat when it started to rain. She started to run when she realized Ron wasn't behind her. She turned and stared. There he was standing in the rain with his hands out._

"_What are you doing?" she called. _

_It was starting to rain harder and already her hair was soaked. He smiled and went over to her and grabbed her hand. He pulled her closer and began to dance. She repeated her question. He began to laugh._

"_We never danced at the Yule ball." _

_She stared at him._

"_So! It's raining!" _

_He shrugged._

"_What's a little rain going to do?" _

_She looked into his eyes._

"_I didn't want this day to be ruined." _

_He smiled causing her legs to wobble slightly._

"_Isn't this nice?"_

"_I'm wet." _

_He laughed. She could feel his heart beating. It was a slow beat. She looked up at him. _

"_You're so calm." _

_He grinned._

"_I'm with you…" _

_She opened her mouth to say something but stopped._

_Instead she stepped closer, placed her head against his chest and closed her eyes. Enjoying this moment with him, even if it was raining. She hated herself for not responding to what he had said. _

_Why didn't you say something?_

_They were silent for a while when Hermione felt vibrations from his chest and heard something. She raised her head. He noticed and decided to break out in song._

"_Raindrops keep fallin' on my head, but that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red. Cryin's not for me 'cause, I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'. Because I'm free, nothin's worryin' me." _

_She burst out laughing._

"_Where did you learn that?"_

"_Harry taught me." _

_She smiled._

"_Did Harry teach you how to dance, too?" _

_Ron rolled his eyes._

"_You don't want to really see me dance."_

_They stayed out in the rain for a while before heading over to Hermione's flat._

"_Ron…" _

_Ron turned around, from leaving. He had just dropped her off._

"_Hmm." _

_She paused. _

_There were so many things she wanted to say… _

_She smiled._

"_Thank you." _

_He smiled back and winked._

"_Don't mention it." _

_With that he disapparated. She leaned on the door post and watched the rain come down._

**BANG!**

Hermione jolted and instinctively reached out next to her. Her eyes opened and she looked over at the covers next to her.

_He's not there…_

"I'm over here."

She looked over at the door to see him sitting at the edge of the bed on her side, watching her intently in nothing but his boxers. She felt a deep blush creep up her neck and spread across her face as his bright blue eyes bore into her soul.

Last night had been so unlike Ron that she had no words to describe what had happened after he had barged into her room. What had happened last night was not sweet, or gentle. It was completely different from their first time. That had been loving, sensual and dare she admit it, intimidating. Last night was nothing like that. Last night had been demanding and desperate. Last night had been a fight.

She had fallen asleep that night filled with so many different emotions that she couldn't wrap her mind around it. She had hated him for everything he had said and for everything he had not said. She was angry at herself for allowing him to continue, but she also loved him for it.

All of a sudden, all of these emotions boiled up inside of her and she let out a small gasp when her heart swelled painfully and her stomach knotted up.

Ron had been watching her this entire time, fearing that she would bolt instead of wanting to face the reality of their situation. Things still had to be said, no matter what had happened last night. He knew that even as he had kissed her. He knew that he would have to face the fact that he had still hurt her and that they would have to talk it out to ever move forward.

There was a small creak from downstairs that brought him out of his thoughts and he glanced over at the door, hoping no one would come knocking, though he doubted it. Judging by the way Harry had exited quickly after retrieving his clothes and the way no one had said anything during their brief fight downstairs suggested that they knew what was going on upstairs and had no intention of disturbing it any time soon.

He turned back to Hermione, who was now looking down at her hands, her face growing redder by the minute. He was afraid that if she kept blushing, she'd end up redder than his hair.

He allowed himself this one moment to look over her carefully. Her pale skin glowed slightly in the sunlight that trickled through the shaded windows. He noticed how she bit her swollen lips and clung to the bed sheet that draped over her naked body. He watched as her chest moved up and down slowly and how she avoided his gaze as she contemplated the next words that would come from her mouth.

His mind went back to the morning after their wedding night. He remembered every emotion he had felt. He remembered the joy of realizing that they were finally married… then he remembered the fear… the panic that had filled his entire being when he had heard her scream his name in terror. He remembered feeling the cold steel slice through him and for that one moment believing that he would die without her, knowing she was in the next room…

"Hermione-"

There was a crash downstairs.

"Tonks!"

Ron smiled, knowing that everyone downstairs was trying to give them their privacy.

Hermione watched him smile and sat up, having the undeniable urge all of a sudden to be as close to him as she possibly could. Before he could begin again she leaned in and caught his lips in hers, lingering for a moment before she opened her lips with his, wanting to taste him and know that was real. He raised his hand to her face, brushing his fingertips across her cheek before moving his hand to the back of her neck and pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. His other hand trailed down her neck to her back where he felt her tremble and gasp. She pulled away slightly, eyes closed and lips slightly open as their breath mingled. He looked over her face in awe and felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest.

He let his hand rest around her neck as they leaned against each other for support. Both of them struggled to collect their thoughts. Hermione was finding it hard to with Ron's hot breath teasing her lips. She longed to feel his lips on her skin again and feel his warmth engulf her with a feeling of security. She wanted to stop thinking.

Ron came to his senses faster than she did, knowing he had to be the first to say something.

"Hermione," he murmured.

Her eyes opened and gazed into his blue orbs.

"Yes," she muttered.

He stared at her for a moment then leaned into her ear, holding her close.

"Why are you still here?" he asked and she felt her heart sink. She knew it would come down to this, but she didn't want to accept the fact that Ron would never forgive himself for what had happened. Though he had said what he had, she had every right to feel just as bad because of her behavior.

She pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"Ron," she whispered, reaching out and placing a hand on his bare chest. She didn't know why but she suddenly started whispering a song. "Raindrops keep falling on my head… but that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red-"

"Cryin's not for me, cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'…" Ron whispered.

"Because I'm free," Hermione finished.

Ron traced her lips with his fingers.

"There's another line, Hermione," he said matter-of-factly.

She smiled and leaned in until their lips were brushing.

"The rest doesn't matter," she replied, kissing him fiercely. He pulled her flush up against him and she gasped. He caught her lip in his, deepening the kiss to a heated fight as he pushed her back into the sheets. He wanted to explore her again. He wanted to rediscover everything that had been lost in the time they had spent hurting each other. He could feel Hermione slowly releasing herself to him again as they continued to kiss each other passionately.

A sudden shiver went up Hermione's spine and suddenly she couldn't think.

_I don't want them dead… I just want them so far removed from their current status that they won't have any recollection of their former life…_

Hermione let out a gasp of air and broke away from Ron suddenly, surprising him.

"Ron…" she whispered, pulling herself out from under him.

_You're married to one of the men I'm trying to kill…_

"Hermione," Ron said warily, watching her as she struggled to breathe.

She reached out for his hand and took it, needing to know that he was still there.

"Ron…" she said again, looking up into his eyes. "He's going to try to kill you… he wants to destroy you… all of you… he wants to take you away and destroy you."

Ron was panicking now. Tears were starting to fill her fearful eyes and he didn't know how to handle it.

"Hermione, what are you talking about?"

"John Doe! He's going to hurt you! He's going to take you away from me-"

Ron took her face in his hands, holding her close and kissing her lips gently.

"Shhhh… it's okay, love. He's not going to hurt anyone. He can't," he whispered into her lips reassuringly. Hermione shook her head, the tears falling. She didn't know why she was doing this. She didn't know why, all of a sudden, she was fearful. She didn't know why she was thinking about it…

She didn't know why she felt that something bad was going to happen…

"Ron... something… something's happening-"

_You can't escape it, Hermione!_

She gasped for air but she couldn't breathe it in. She let out another choked gasp and Ron's eyes grew, realizing that something was definitely wrong.

"Hermione… Hermione, what's wrong?"

Hermione tried to say his name but another wave of pain flooded her.

_You feel it, don't you! You feel it! You can't ignore it any longer. This is our time!_

"No…" she choked before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed on the bed. Ron grabbed her quickly, feeling her pulse.

"Oh no… Hermione… Hermione!"

She wasn't breathing.

Ron rushed over to the door and yanked it open.

"SOMEONE GET HELP!" he yelled.

There was a pause and then Harry appeared, running up the stairs quickly followed by Ginny, Mrs. Weasley and Bill. Ron went back to Hermione's side, shaking her. Her skin was cold.

"She's not breathing," he said frantically.

Ginny and Mrs. Weasley rushed to her side as well and Ginny gasped.

"She's cold," she whispered.

Fear took hold of Ron and paralyzed him as they moved around him. It had only been moments ago that they had been embracing each other… now she wasn't breathing… He couldn't bear to think of what would happen if she died right then and there. He had not yet even told her that he loved her and knew his world would fall apart if would never be able to tell her. Ron needed her. He knew that, even though he wouldn't admit it to himself most of the time.

"RON!" Harry bellowed, shaking Ron out of his moment of dread.

"She's dead…" Ron whispered, surprising and scaring Harry at the same time. The poor man had gone completely pale and looked completely lost standing there in the middle of his old room in nothing but his boxers. There was a decaying look on his face that suggested to Harry that he had been out of the loop for the past three minutes in which Bill had disapparated with Hermione and Ginny and Mrs. Weasley had gone off to tell the rest of the family.

Harry shook his head.

"No! Hermione isn't dead, Ron. She's been taken to St. Mungos. You need to put on some clothes so we can go and help her!" he told his friend quickly, grabbing Ron's discarded clothing on the floor and shoving them into Ron's hands. Ron, having only heard the first four words Harry had said, snatched the clothes from Harry and pulled them on quickly before looking around frantically for his wand, forgetting that he had lost it in the woods the night before. Harry, who had dealt with that problem that morning, handed Ron his new wand before disapparating. Ron followed suit a second later, praying desperately that Hermione was still alive.

* * *

Bill placed Hermione on a stretcher offered by two nurses who rushed over to him upon noticing the woman he was carrying in his arms. As soon as she was down, they began to rush her off through some double doors that were to the left of the waiting room. Bill tried to follow, but another nurse stopped him.

"But I need to make sure she's okay!" he protested, knowing Ron would kill him if he let Hermione out of his sight.

"Sir, I assure you that she will fine sir, but you're not allowed past this point!" the nurse told him, backing up as he tried to get through the doors.

"I have to be with her. Her husband would kill me if he didn't know how she was!"

A Healer came out to see what the matter was. When he saw who it was, he told the nurse to go.

"See how they are doing with the patient Charlotte, I'll tend to Mr. Weasley," he said.

The nurse glanced over at Bill, nodded and disappeared behind the doors. Bill looked thoroughly upset, but was glad that a Healer was talking to him now.

"I should be in there," he said.

The Healer glanced at the doors and then nodded.

"Don't worry. She's new here. Come with me."

He led Bill through the double doors and down the long hall. Bill followed him, noting that there the corridor was empty as they went into another room. As soon as they entered the door slammed shut and Bill cursed himself when he found himself face to face with a wand. The Healer smiled at him as Bill pulled out his wand and dropped it on the floor. Bill glanced over to the side to see the two nurses, including 'Charlotte', who had taken Hermione standing by a small bed that held Hermione's limp form. The Healer picked up Bill's wand and tossed it over to one of them.

"Your brother will be glad to know that you've decided to join him," the man said before muttering something.

Everything went black.

* * *

Harry and Ron arrived at the waiting room and went over to the desk where a woman sat.

"Could you help us? My brother just brought my wife in. Hermione Weasley," Ron said urgently.

The woman at the desk looked over her list quickly then shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but she wasn't checked in."

"You mean she's not here?" Harry demanded.

The lady nodded.

"A person's name is put down automatically when they go through those doors," she said pointing over to the double doors to the left of the waiting room.

Ron began to panic again. He needed to know where she was. He needed to know she was alive. He needed to know she was safe.

"Maybe there's a mistake," he snapped angrily.

The woman shook her head.

"There's no mistake."

Ron slammed his hand down on the counter.

"Damn it! She's here!"

Harry grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him away from the desk.

"Calm down, Ron. Being angry won't help Hermione," he said. "Bill probably took her to a different part of the hospital," he reasoned.

Ron sighed and nodded.

"Yeah… sorry…"

They walked off towards the stairwell, not aware of the nurse exiting the double doors and not aware that her nametag read Charlotte.

**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this!**

**smore4u1:** Yes, the argueing was getting quite tedious. However, I don't think they can work as a team if Hermione's missing. :-)

**wasu:** I'm glad you liked the _end_ of the chapter. As long as you liked the _end_ of the chapter... I'm happy...

**sballLuvr5:** I'm not sure he's going to stop acting crazy, but I'm _pretty_ sure that he's going to kick someone's arse.

**nextbestthing:** More liked showed her, but I know what you mean.

**Adelaide MacGregor:** Thank you! Hope you like this one.

**ThEnAmEsGiGi:** Yes, he did protect her and he did step up! I'm not so sure if the freaking out part will go away, seeing as she's gone again...

**Rumpleteaze:** I'm not too sure about that.

**lucy2525:** Yes... oy... :-)

**Oobe:** I loved that last part as well! It took me a while to figure out how to start this chapter though.

**Okay, okay, okay... just in case you haven't noticed or in case you did notice and were severely confused, the beginning of this chapter is taken from Things I'll Never Say. I just got rid of the lyrics... obviously. **

**No chapter tease. Sorry!**

**I might be starting a new story, I'm not sure. It might either be a D/G one, which, before I get the spitting, hissing and nashing of teeth from my loyal readers, is for my own little enjoyment and probably won't be much of anything. Just a story because I feel like it, not because I absolutely love the pairing. I'm stepping out on a limb, so bare with me! The other might just be a Hr/R story, but whether or not it will be Hogwarts Era or Post-Hogwarts is undecided. I have two different ideas. **

**Hope you're all fat and happy!**

**Or at least happy!**

**R/R!**


	12. In the Words of Mr Murphy

_ Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face._ **-Nelson DeMille**

* * *

"Hermione…"

_What?_

"Hermione, wake up."

_Why? Why can't I sleep?_

"Hermione…"

She felt herself being nudged, but couldn't move.

_What's going on?_

Someone nudged her again and this time she opened her eyes to see who it was. Blinded by the light, she blinked rapidly before she finally opened her eyes fully, taking in her surroundings. She was in the corner of a large tent, lying on the floor. There wasn't much in the tent except a small chair and two rather imposing statues of ravens that Hermione knew were watching them. Right beside her was Lisa. Behind her were Charlie and Bill. Bill looked untouched. However, unlike his older brother, Charlie seemed to have sustained multiple injuries during their disappearance. Lisa's appearance seemed that of a woman so afflicted and terrorized that there were no words to describe it.

Hermione tried to move but Lisa stopped her.

"Don't," Lisa whispered, helping Hermione into a sitting position. "They've been filling you with drugs to keep you quiet for the past three days. The continuous intake has damaged your muscles. You're too weak to do anything yourself."

Hermione stared at her for a moment.

"Three days? It's been three days?" she asked.

Lisa nodded, handing her a cup of water.

"They've been trying to keep you unconscious for as long as possible without doing too much damage. They can't do that any longer or you'll go into a coma," she explained, watching as Hermione drank. Bill went over to the tent entrance to keep a watch.

"What happened to you two?" Hermione asked, her eyes falling on Charlie's bruised face and arms. She noticed that tears came to Lisa's eyes and before Charlie could answer; his wife got up and went to the other side of the tent, shoving around a few blankets. Charlie watched her for a moment then turned to Hermione.

"When they attacked the house, I was upstairs and Lisa was in the kitchen… I never had a chance to get to her when I heard the explosions next door. Our neighbor's are pureblood as well," he said as an after thought which let Hermione know that they at least knew why they were here. Charlie continued, "They drugged Lisa to keep her quiet. We were in a muggle warehouse."

Hermione frowned.

"They beat you," she whispered.

Charlie nodded.

"Yeah… they did," he responded bitterly, glancing over at Lisa who had become still. Hermione turned to Bill, who was still looking outside.

"How did we get here?" she asked.

Bill looked over at her and sighed.

"I messed up," he said shortly, not wanting to delve into the details that landed them here. Charlie walked over to the entrance as well and frowned.

"What are they waiting for?" he asked quietly.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Lisa looked up from the corner.

"The mountains. We don't know where," she replied.

Hermione closed her eyes, feeling a chill run down her spine.

"I do."

* * *

Four the past thirty-seven hours, Ron had been in his flat, pacing the floor and cursing himself. It had been three days since Hermione had disappeared, two days since Ron had been removed from the whole case and twenty minutes since John Doe had sent his last message. Up until a day ago, Harry had been giving Ron information through various resources, but after Moody caught him sending Ron a letter with Pig, Ron had been quarantined to his flat until everything was cleared up. Moody had even gone as far as to order Aurors on Ron's flat, guarding every escape Ron could ever think of. Ron's apparition privileges had been revoked and his fireplace had been shut down until further notice. The only person who had been allowed to visit Ron was Ginny, but after Harry tried to sneak information through her, Ron was allowed no visitors at all.

Now, he stood there in his kitchen, completely in the dark and feeling utterly helpless.

He had already trashed his living room out of anger and now he could feel that slowly wane, giving way to a slow, drilling madness that was made his entrails freeze and made his heart shrivel as his mind went over every possible scenario Hermione could be in at that very moment.

Letting out a cry of frustration he slammed his hand down on the counter, resting his head against the cool surface as he tried to calm his breathing.

He should be out there.

He should be helping.

The reason he was standing in his kitchen instead of helping was because, out of anger, he had punched the Deputy Minister, insulted several high officials, damaged the fountain, one elevator, three fireplaces and then commenced to destroy his own office all in a matter of sixteen minutes because the Deputy Minister felt that Hermione's disappearance wasn't necessarily legally a disappearance since it wasn't twenty four hours. Moody had to have Ron arrested and detained for a few hours while making the difficult decision of either having Ron fired or suspending him. It was a surprise to everyone that Moody managed to just get Ron off the case.

The Deputy Minister was _extremely_ outraged.

The only condition the D.M. would consider letting Ron work was if he was working under house arrest without any contact with anyone except Alastor Moody. Moody showed up once with a bunch of files for Ron to sift through then left without saying a word.

"Damn it!"

* * *

Ginny looked up from the letter in her hand to see Harry enter her room. She set the letter down and watched as he moved over to her bed and sat down beside her, staring at his hands. She stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"Bad news?"

Harry snorted and looked up.

"You could say that. We found the room Hermione had been taken to at St. Mungos before she disappeared. We also found the nurse that took her. She admitted to handing Hermione over to Doe, but she doesn't know anything else."

"You're sure?"

Harry looked her in the eyes, a dark look on his face.

"I questioned her myself, Gin," he whispered and suddenly she had a bad feeling about how he got this information.

"Oh… okay," she replied, not wanting to go into it. She knew he was upset over what had happened to Hermione and Ron and knew that he would do whatever he could to bring Hermione back alive. She didn't want to think about what that whatever was.

"Do you know how Ron is?" she asked.

Harry shook his head.

"Moody won't give me anything. I think he's being pressured by the D.M. to take me off the case as well," he muttered.

Ginny's eyes grew.

"But they can't. If they take both of you off, then we'll never find them," she said.

Harry shrugged hopelessly.

"After what Ron did, I don't think they really care about if we can find Hermione," he said bitterly.

Ginny took his hand and squeezed it gently. It had been a long time since they had had a chance to really talk. Ever since the attacks, Harry had been spending most of his time at the Ministry or with Hermione or Ron. Not that she minded. She knew they needed him. She just wished that she could see him more than they did now.

"But they can't just ignore it right. At least ten families have disappeared and some prisoners at Azkaban are starting to disappear as well," she whispered.

Harry nodded, his face growing darker by the second.

"Malfoy along with a few others have been moved for their protection," he sneered, as if just the man's name left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Where is he now?" Ginny asked.

Harry shook his head.

"I don't know… somewhere at the Ministry I suppose. They won't tell me anything," he said.

Ginny could see the frustration in his eyes and knew that it was killing him to be kept so much in the dark. It had been that way during his time at Hogwarts and he had been anxious to be rid of that time. Now it seemed as if it had crept slowly back into his life again.

She gave his hand a squeeze again.

"It'll be okay, Harry. You'll figure it out," she whispered.

Harry released her hand and ran his own through his hair anxiously.

"I usually have Hermione and Ron here with me to help figure things out. Now Ron's stuck in his flat and Hermione's only God knows where," he muttered nervously.

Ginny bit her lip and watched him carefully for a moment before speaking.

"Well," she started slowly. "I may not be Ron or Hermione… but could still try to help."

Harry's head snapped to her and he felt a slight pang of guilt. He suddenly realized just how much he had neglected Ginny since this whole thing had started. He had spent so much time with Ron, Hermione or at the Ministry that he hardly realized that she was still there.

He held her gaze for a moment before leaning in and kissing her softly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. "I didn't realize-"

Ginny held up her hand to stop him from continuing, knowing exactly what he was going to say and exactly how he felt. This wasn't the first time they had had a conversation like this.

"I know, Harry. I know," she whispered before standing up. He stood up with her, watching her to make sure that she was okay. She took a moment to gather her thoughts then continued. "You don't need to explain yourself, Harry."

Harry didn't look at all convinced.

"Ginny… I-"

She placed two fingers on his lips, effectively cutting him off.

"Harry, seriously… I understand. It's been hard… for all of us."

Harry removed her fingers and pulled her close to him, holding her hand to his cheek.

"Then why do I feel like I need to apologize," he whispered.

Ginny bit her lip and looked away.

"Harry… you don't need to apologize," she told him again before leaning in and brushing her lips against his. He raised a hand to her face and pulled her closer, releasing her hand to place his other around her small waist. The moment her lips had touched his, all he could think about was getting as close as possible to her. All he wanted to do now was to forget everything and lose himself in her, if only for a moment.

They heard the bedroom open, but didn't pull away until they heard Lupin's surprised voice.

"Harry? Ginny?"

They pulled away, but remained in each others arms as they looked over at Remus, who seemed to find the situation more surprising than it actually was.

"Remus?" Harry said.

Remus jerked and pointed behind him.

"Dumbledore is here. He has information you need to hear," he said, glancing over at Ginny, who suddenly looked out of place. When he noticed that Harry hadn't moved from his spot with Ginny, he sighed. "He says it's urgent, Harry."

Harry felt Ginny stiffen in his arms and had a feeling he knew what she was thinking about. If Dumbledore needed to tell him something urgent alone, then it couldn't be good news. He glanced over at her before removing his arms from her and walking over to where Remus stood. Almost immediately, Ginny felt the warmth disappear as he walked out the door. Remus remained, watching her carefully.

"It'll be okay," he whispered.

Ginny looked up at him and tried to smile.

"I wish I could believe that."

* * *

When Harry entered the kitchen, Dumbledore and Mr. Weasley seemed to be in a very heated conversation while Mrs. Weasley stood off to the side, obviously disturbed by something. Harry coughed, announcing his presence and the two men looked up to see him standing at the door. Mr. Weasley had a strange look on his face while Dumbledore seemed a little calmer.

"Is Ginny upstairs?" Mr. Weasley asked for some reason.

Harry nodded slowly.

"Yes."

Dumbledore glanced over at Mr. Weasley before speaking.

"We have something very serious to speak to you about, Harry," he said.

Harry walked over to the counter, worry written all over his face.

"What is it? Do you have anything about Hermione?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"Not exactly. But we know someone who does."

"Who?"

"Draco Malfoy," Mr. Weasley answered, a very dark look suddenly dropping on his face. Harry's face suddenly filled with anger at the sound of the Death Eater's name.

"What?"

Mrs. Weasley made a small noise somewhere between a whimper and a squeal before falling into a disturbed silence. Harry glanced over at her before turning back to Dumbledore.

"How does Malfoy-"

"He was attacked a few hours ago. A woman snuck in looking like Pansy Parkinson," Mr. Weasley said. "Personally, I don't know who to feel sorrier for, Malfoy or the woman."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore sighed.

"The woman was there to kill Malfoy. Apparently, he killed her husband during the War. She got into his cell, but that's as far as she got," he said.

"Malfoy was some how able to get her wand and did a few things to her before killing her. He's been moved to Hogwarts under Dumbledore's surveillance," Mr. Weasley finished.

"He got information about Hermione," Harry guessed, a feeling of dread befalling him. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "And you can't get it?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"There's something blocking his memories. It might be something he did to himself before the Aurors got to him. He won't tell us what he knows."

Harry drew his lips into a thin line and thought for a moment before speaking. "What does he want for the information?"

Mrs. Weasley let out another noise, this time like a wounded animal. Dumbledore glanced over at her then turned to Harry.

"He wants to see Ginny," he told Harry.

Harry could feel the blood drained from his body and his insides boil. Draco Malfoy wanted to see Ginny. _His_ Ginny. So this is why they had asked him. If it had been any other person they would have bypassed Harry's authority and let the person go see the bastard. But this wasn't any person…

"He wants to see Ginny," Harry repeated, his voice shaking with barely controlled rage. He was outraged that Malfoy had the audacity to demand to see the woman who had put him in Azkaban.

Mr. Weasley was watching Harry carefully, knowing the fear and rage that was now simultaneously coursing through the young man's veins.

His little girl's safety had been placed in this man's hands….

"Did he say why?" Harry asked suddenly, looking up at Dumbledore.

Mrs. Weasley jerked.

"What does it matter?!" she snapped, glaring at Harry. "He wants to speak to her!"

Mr. Weasley stood up.

"Molly-"

"Don't you 'Molly' me, Arthur," she growled. "That man is _dangerous_! No offense, but Harry should _not_ be the one to decide if Ginny can go see him!"

"See who?"

They turned to see Ginny and Remus standing at the door, frowning.

"We heard yelling," Remus explained. Ginny entered the kitchen and walked over to her father, taking his arm.

"Decide if I can go see who, Dad?" she asked again, glancing over at Harry, who was still pale. "What's going on?"

"Draco Malfoy wants to see you," Mr. Weasley said.

"Arthur!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, outraged.

"She deserves to know, Molly," he responded, just as angry.

"What?" Ginny had gone completely pale. "He what?"

"Mr. Malfoy has information on the whereabouts of Hermione but won't tell us unless he sees you," Dumbledore explained, his eyes on Harry.

Suddenly it dawned on Ginny why Harry had been called for this information. He was in charge of Malfoy's arrest, even though it was Ginny who had really captured him.

Her gaze went over to Harry, who was now staring at a spot on the countertop. She watched him for a moment then spoke.

"You don't think I should go, do you," she whispered, watching as Harry's eyes met hers.

"I think you'd be mental _to_ go," he responded darkly.

"I'm not a child, Harry," Ginny snapped. "I don't need you to protect me all the time."

"I don't think you should go as well," Mrs. Weasley interrupted, looking very upset that her daughter was actually considering going to meet the man that probably had every intention of killing her with whatever he could get his hands on.

Ginny didn't look at all swayed by her mother's comment. In fact she looked more annoyed at Harry than anything.

"If I remember correctly, I was the one who got him for you," she continued as if her mother had never spoken.

"Ginny, it's not that simple," Harry started.

"Not that simple?!" Ginny exploded. "You nasty hypocrite! Just a minute ago you wanted my help and now you're telling me I cant come because _it's not that simple_!"

"He's dangerous, Ginny!"

"SO ARE YOU!" she screamed, glaring at him. After seeing the shocked look on everyone's faces, she calmed herself and looked around the kitchen before turning back to Harry. "So are you, Harry," she whispered before leaving the kitchen. Harry stood there for a moment before following her out.

"Ginny! Ginny wait!" he shouted, catching her on the dark stairs. She stopped, but she didn't turn to face him. He stopped a step below her and reached out to take her hand.

"Ginny… I know you can handle him… I know you're not a child," he whispered.

"Then why do you always treat me like one?" she asked quietly.

He stared at her for a moment then tugged on her hand to turn her around.

"I don't want you to get hurt," he replied.

"Harry, I can take care of myself-"

"I know!" he cut in, annoyed for some reason. "Damn it, Ginny, I know you can. But…" He looked away from her, trying to find the right words. "I've lost too many people that I love… I can't lose you as well…"

Ginny bit her lip and reached up to take his face in her hands.

"I'm not going anywhere, Harry. But the only way we can help Hermione and my brothers is if I go and speak with Malfoy," she whispered.

Harry wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her chest, squeezing her tightly.

"If he touches you-"

"You will probably have to wait behind Fred and George to beat the crap out of him, but sure… you can pound him to a pulp," she finished.

"This isn't funny, Gin," he whispered, pulling away to look up at her. "I'm serious. If he makes any move­-"

"I will tell you, Harry," she said with a slight annoyance in her voice, knowing that it was killing him.

"Ginny," he warned.

She looked down at him and offered him a smile which he didn't return. She could see the doubt in his eyes and sighed again. She leaned in and kissed him fully, pulling him close to her as she tried to convey to him her need for his security. She needed him to be clear of all compromising emotions before she went to go see Malfoy or else he would snap before Malfoy uttered a single word.

When she pulled away, his eyes were clouded over and unfocused. She watched as he slowly brought himself back to reality.

"It will be okay," she whispered.

He reached up and ran a finger down her cheek.

"I hope you're right."

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long. I couldn't figure out how to begin. It was the hardest part of the whole chapter. **

**Ker-splat: **I'm not to sure about that yet. Perhaps soon.

**OzDust: **I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I honestly dont know where I'm taking this story. I just write as far as I can think and if you ask anyone, that's not very far. This chapter wasn't supposed to be nearly as long as it is. I think that whole Malfoy thing wasn't even going to be part of it.

**Adelaide MacGregor****:** Hope you like this chapter.

**lily: **I'm glad you decided to take a look. I hope you like this chapter as well.

**Rumpleteaze: **Not really a plot twist. More like a... very big inconvenience on their part. As for what's wrong with Hermione. You'll soon find out.

**wasu:** Well as long as you liked it. Like I said to Rumpleteaze, you'll figure it out soon.

**ronandmion4ever: **Yeah, I think someone would definitely mind. And don't worry. They will definitely talk before this is done. As for them having all the problems. Well, there wouldn't be much of a story if they were a perfect couple and everything was going for them. It's nice to know that you'll stick with me. It will of course just be for fun... of course, fun for me isn't fluff. It's dark, nasty business followed by a cruel yet satisfying ending in which some vital character ends up dying in a deadly fight to save another person. But it's not like I would do _that_... :-)

**Oobe: **I liked that chapter as well. I don't know why I put that whole singing thing in, but it just seemed appropriate.

**nextbestthing: **Well, of course I'm not going to give away the ending of the story in which Ron dies some tragic and horrible death and Hermione ends up scarred for the remainder of her life while Harry leaves for Australia and Ginny's left alone... whoops... :-)

**Ainulin: **It's nice to know that you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for reviewing!

**sballLuvr5: **Well... he definitely kicked somebody's arse, but I don't think that's what you were talking about.

**smore4u1: **Well... it's not really unexpected if you knew it was coming, but I bet you didn't see the whole Malfoy thing coming! Or maybe you did. I don't know. Maybe I'm becoming to predictably unpredictable... does that even make sense?

**tamara72: **Bill isn't dead, but I can't tell you yet what's going to happen to Hermione. You'll have to wait until maybe the next chapter. Depending on how far I go with the whole Draco Ginny thing.

**Obviously there's no chapter tease because I haven't written the chapter. But I suppose I can make _something_ up off the top of my head... let us see...**

_"Ah, Potter... it's nice to see that you finally decided to pay me a visit after all these years... and what's this? Ginny Weasley, you are definitely more beautiful than the day you screwed me over."_

**A little taste into the world to come. Happy trails and R/R!!**


	13. Hogwarts, A Jail Cell

**A/N: This may not turn out the way most of you may want it to. I couldn't decide on which quote to use, so I chose both!**

_Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret._ **-Ambrose Bierce.**

_Regret, which is guilt without the neurosis, enables us ... to move forward instead of back. _**-Jane Adams**

* * *

"Okay, give me your wand. I'll hold it until you come out," Harry said, holding out his hand for Ginny's hand as she followed him down the long Hogwarts corridor down to the dungeons were Draco Malfoy was being kept. She pulled her wand out of her back pocket and handed it to him, glancing behind her at the five Aurors who accompanied them.

"Does he really deserve this much security?" she asked as they reached a large oak door with heavy iron bars on it. There were three more guards at the door. They stood to attention upon seeing Harry and he handed them the papers they needed to get Ginny in. The one guard in charge looked over the papers for a moment then glanced up at Ginny, examining her for a moment then signaling to the man beside him.

"Check her," he ordered shortly, signing the papers and handing them back to Harry, who watched as the man searched Ginny for anything illegal. The man gave his superior a nod and the officer flicked his wand at the door, muttering something under his breath. The iron bars slid out of place with a grating screech that caused Ginny to cringe as the doors opened into an even small corridor. The officer and another Auror accompanied Harry and Ginny down the hall while the others waited at the oak doors. At the end of the hall was a small iron door that seemed to be bolted at every area possible. The officer approached the door.

"Officer James Dean," he said clearly.

Harry stepped forward.

"Auror Harry Potter," he stated and the door shuddered before unbolting itself. The Auror slid open a small slit in the door and peered in.

"In the chair, Malfoy! Hurry up!" he barked.

"Is it meal time already?" came the silky drawl of the one and only Draco Malfoy and it made Ginny shiver at the thought of seeing him after over seven years. Harry glanced over at her.

"You sure about this, Gin?" he whispered, not wanting the man inside to know who was just outside the door. She gave him a shaky nod and the Auror nodded as well.

"Stay seated, Malfoy or we'll stun you," he shouted.

"Don't worry your pretty little knickers about my getting up. I prefer to be served anyway," Malfoy replied loudly so that he could be heard through the slit.

The Auror and the officer opened the door slightly and Harry entered the room. It was basically a Potions room transformed into a very fancy jail cell. There was a bed off to the left corner, a sofa to the right and a desk in the middle, where a much older Draco Malfoy sat, lounging in his chair. For a moment when he saw Harry, a look of deep disgust and loathing crossed his face. A second later it was gone, replaced by mild interest.

"Ah, Potter... it's nice to see that you finally decided to pay me a visit after all these years... and what's this? Ginny Weasley, you are definitely more beautiful than the day you screwed me over," he added in a seducing yet nasty sneer upon seeing Ginny, who suddenly regretted coming. The moment she laid eyes on him, her eyes traveled to the long scar across his eye. The one she had given him the day he had been captured. A sudden feeling of nausea swept over her as the events of that day flooded her memory.

But she couldn't leave now. He had seen her. And now that he'd seen her he controlled the situation.

His grey unfeeling eyes swept over her with a twisted sort of pleasure as he stood up and approached her. But before he could get to close, Harry stepped forward, wand drawn.

"You touch her and I swear I'll break every little bone in those pretty little fingers of yours," he growled so only Malfoy could hear. "Understand?"

Malfoy smirked, his eyes still on Ginny, who had taken a step back upon seeing Malfoy's advance.

"I don't get what I want and I'll be happy to see that stupid little Mudblood extremist break every single bone in Weasley's brothers' _bodies_," he replied calmly, shifting his cold gaze to Harry. "_Understand_?"

Ginny could see that Harry was dying to kill the man right now, but also knew it would do them no good. Straightening up, she touched Harry's arm.

"Harry…" she whispered. "It's okay… I can handle him."

"Oh you've certainly proved that," Malfoy replied, his eyes once again traveling to her. She matched his gaze with equal intensity.

"Don't think I won't break those fingers," she said dangerously.

Harry glanced between them for a moment then removed his wand from Malfoy's throat and moved to the door.

"I'll be right outside," he said, more for Malfoy's sake than Ginny's.

Malfoy, on the other hand, didn't seem to approve.

"I will have a private audience with Ginny," he said.

"Like hell you will."

"I'll get what I want."

"Over my dead body," Harry snarled with so much hatred that it made Ginny shiver.

"Oh, that can be arranged so quickly. Just give me a wand."

"Harry!" Ginny cut in, afraid if Malfoy said another word, Harry wouldn't bother using a wand to kill him. "Just give him what he wants."

"Ginny-"

Ginny walked over to him quickly, glancing behind her occasionally to make sure Malfoy wasn't inching closer to her. She reached up and unclasped her necklace and placed it in Harry's hand.

"If something bad is happening, it will burn," she whispered into his ear before giving him a gentle push to the door. "I'll be okay."

Harry nodded and shot one last hateful glance in Malfoy's direction before leaving the room. A moment later the slit slammed shut, but before it closed fully they could hear Harry swear loudly. Ginny flinched slightly at the sound before turning to face Malfoy. She raised her hands out as if expecting something.

"Well, you wanted to see me," she said hotly, fixing him with a steady gaze. He smirked and sat down on the sofa, beckoning her to follow.

"Come, Ginny. Tell me everything that has happened to you in the past seven years. Did that weasel of a brother finally marry the Mudblood that's been so much in demand recently?"

Ginny sat down on the sofa as far away from him as possible without falling off.

"Let's not talk about my brother. Let's talk about that location you've been so reluctant to disclose," she said.

Malfoy's eyes went over her body for a moment before he shook his head slowly, smirking.

"_No_," he drawled. "I think we'll talk about you. By the looks of things, Potter's still _screwing_ you."

Ginny's body stiffened noticeably and she glared at him.

"_No one _is _screwing_ me, Malfoy. And what's going on between Harry and I is also none of your business," she snapped.

Malfoy knew he had hit a touchy subject and decided to expand on it.

"If I remember correctly," he stated as if she had not spoken. "The last time I saw you, Saint Potter was off doing his little hero thing with Weasel and Mudblood while _you_ were left _here_," he said, gesturing around the cell. "Has anything changed or is he still the same self-sacrificing arse that he was seven years ago?"

"You're obviously the same presumptuous, arrogant, insufferable ferret you were seven years ago. Azkaban hasn't done _anything_ for you," Ginny retorted, not wanting him to get to close to the truth about her relationship with Harry. He already had the upper hand. She didn't need him to continue to climb where she would be unable to reach.

At her mention of Azkaban, a darkness flickered across Malfoy's pale features before they replaced by the typical smirk.

"_Azkaban_, Ginny, has been _very_ good to me," he said, leaning back on the couch to look at her better. His eyes rested on her thigh which had become exposed when she sat down. Ginny caught his stare and pulled her skirt over her knees, glaring at him until he continued. "You see, unlike most of the unfortunate pricks who managed to get themselves the kiss, I am still useful to the Ministry. And as long as I have information the Ministry needs, I am _untouchable,_" he sneered.

Ginny stared at him for a moment before standing up and moving over to the desk, shifting the letters laying there. One in particular caught her eye and she picked it up, reading the neat yet hurriedly written words.

"Pansy Parkinson," she whispered to herself before flipping the letter over to see some words scrawled on the inside.

"It was the day she disappeared."

Ginny literally yelped in surprise, jumped and turned at the same time, bumping into the desk behind her as she found herself face to face with Draco Malfoy. The close proximity caused her brain to go into overdrive, going over every possible outcome of this situation.

"What?" she asked shakily, trying to calm herself down. She couldn't show fear to this man.

Malfoy reached behind her and picked up the letter she had been fingering.

"She tried to warn me about the woman who was coming to try to kill me," he said casually, as if the woman's disappearance had meant absolutely nothing to him. "She was always trying to get on my good side after I found out she had not gone to Azkaban."

"Yet you allowed her to be the only one to visit you," Ginny whispered, very aware of Malfoy's hand close to her hip as he held the letter.

He looked up at her and smirked.

"It's not much fun to be in a conjugal cell by yourself," he replied with a devilish glint in his eyes. Ginny absolutely revolted and shoved him away, going over to the couch, but not sitting down in it. She suddenly had a feeling that, no matter how much security there was on that door; Malfoy had somehow managed to get some girl down here to entertain him.

"What did you want to see me for, Malfoy? To bother me with useless information about your sex life?" she asked, disgusted with herself for agreeing to come in the first place.

Malfoy watched her fidget for a while before walking over to her.

"No… to hear about yours," he said simply and she stared at him for a moment before moving to the door.

"This is a waste of time," she muttered.

Suddenly she was grabbed by the arms, twisted around and slammed against the wall. She felt Malfoy's body press against hers, blocking her from escaping. One of Ginny's arms, Malfoy had managed to trap behind her body while he held the other he held with one hand while his other rested on her thigh, his hot breath in her ear.

"Listen to me, Weasley," he growled, tightening his grip when she started to struggle. "There are things about me you will _never_ understand. But I was just hoping that when you came back to see me, you'd forget everything I'd ever done and just want to chat," he whispered silkily into her ear.

She tried to shove his hand away, but with her other hand trapped behind her, her resistance was useless.

"You rat bastard," she spat. "Let go of me."

She closed her eyes in disgust when she felt his cold hands move up her thigh and felt his lips run greedily across her jaw to the corner of her lips.

"Oh, _Ginny, Ginny, Ginny_," he murmured, massaging her leg. "If you wanted me gone, Potter would already be in here. But seeing as he's _not_," he sneered, moving down to her neck and licking her crawling skin. "I'd say you've been waiting for this."

"Drop dead," she growled, trying to move again.

Malfoy smiled and lifted his hand from her leg to her shirt, where his hands found her skin and ran over her stomach.

"Ginny, stop moving," he whispered. She continued to fight against his stronger, taller figure. "Ginny, _stop moving_," he snarled menacingly, causing her to halt. "Good… now… tell me something, Ginny. And if you tell me correctly, I will tell you the location of your dear little brothers and that filthy Mudblood as well."

Ginny could feel her skin screaming as his hands ran over her, but she remained still nonetheless.

"What?" she whispered.

He leaned into her ear, letting his lips and breath tease her.

"Have you ever thought… of what it would be like if you and I…"

He let the rest hang in the air, knowing that at that moment those thoughts were running through her mind.

"You bastard," she whispered.

He shoved her further into the wall.

"_Answer the question, Ginny_," he growled.

She closed her eyes, trying to think of anything but this, but at that moment she did remember. That one time… the only time…

"Once…" she whispered. "The day you were arrested."

Malfoy smiled, remembering that day clearly.

"You didn't just think it, Ginny," he whispered, pulling back to look into her eyes. "You almost did it."

"You're an ass," she said, spitting in his face. "You were a filthy son of a bitch then and you're still one now and I hope that you die alone and in pain just so you realize just how much you are the scum of the world."

Malfoy smiled and let her go, watching as she headed to the door, shaking slightly.

"Always trying to be so brave, Ginny. Always trying to prove that you're not that same little girl who was seduced by the Dark Lord," he sneered.

Ginny stopped; her eyes stinging with unshed tears and her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe. Malfoy knew he had gotten to her.

"That's right, Ginny…. You're not as brave as you'd like everyone to think."

Ginny didn't answer for a while, and then she turned to face him.

"Why did you ask me here?"

Malfoy walked over to her, but stopped when she began back away.

"I wanted to see if sweet, brave little Ginny wanted a second go at Draco Malfoy."

Ginny smacked him the face and reached for the door but he grabbed her hand. She looked up at him and there was a glint in his eyes. A glint she had not seen for seven years.

"You're not as innocent as everyone thinks you are."

Ginny snapped. She lunged at him and her momentum brought them to the ground as she clawed and him and he began to fight back. She grabbed his ear and yanked at him, relishing the sound of him screaming in pain before punching her in the face and rolling over so that he was straddling her. Ginny could hear the distant sound of grating iron and knew that the iron door was being opened. Still, all of her focus was suddenly on the Death Eater on top of her, who had managed to grab both her arms and pin her down. She spit in his face and managed to wiggle out one of her legs, kneeing him in the stomach and flipping over so that she was on top of him, pinning him down with her arms.

"Tell me where my brothers are!" she screamed.

Suddenly the door opened and Harry rushed in with the other two and he dragged Ginny off of Malfoy.

"Tell me where my brothers are!" she shrieked again, struggling against Harry to lunge back at Malfoy, who shoved away the two officers and advanced on Ginny. The three pulled out their wands and Malfoy stopped short, but didn't take his eyes off of the incensed redhead. Her face and ears were completely red with fury as she somehow managed to pry herself from Harry's strong arms, grab his wand and pin Malfoy against the wall with the wand, her hands shaking. She dug the wand into Malfoy's throat as she glowered at him. The others made no move to attack, realizing just how angry Ginny actually was.

"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!"

For a moment Malfoy just stared at her, then he started to laugh as if he had just one something.

"That's what I wanted you hear for. This is the Ginny I wanted to see… an angry Ginny."

Ginny punched him straight in the nose and stormed out, leaving Malfoy laughing on the ground, his own blood staining his clean robes and the floor around him. He looked up at Harry, who seemed too stunned at Ginny's actions to deal with anything else.

"Azkera mountains in Scotland. The Plano gorge is probably where they'll be," he spouted through the blood, chuckling as one Auror bound his hands and hoisted him onto his feet. "That's where you'll find your precious Mudblood and those blood traitors."

Harry nodded and left, leaving Malfoy to the two officers. He passed the other Aurors waiting for him and found Ginny in the stairwell down to the dungeons, eyes closed and chest heaving. He approached her and reached out to take her arm but she pulled away, squeezing her eyes firmly shut as she tried to calm herself.

"Don't… just don't, Harry."

He watched her for a moment.

"What happened, Ginny? What did he do to you?"

Ginny opened her eyes and stared at him.

"My mother was right… I shouldn't have come… I couldn't handle seeing him again."

"Ginny, what happened?" Harry asked again.

Ginny closed her eyes again and leaned against the wall.

"I… I almost slept with him… the day you arrested him," she whispered.

She heard Harry take a step away from her and she laughed.

"Let me remind you that that was also around the time that you returned from wherever the hell you were and I caught you snogging Cho Chang," she said bitterly.

"Ginny-­"

"Yeah, I know. She kissed you. But I didn't know that did I…"

"So that gives you the right-"

"Damn it Harry, he found me!" she snapped. "He found me crying in the stairwell and he took me to the Astronomy. That was before you were able to tell me what you had found out about him," she added, knowing that it didn't matter anyway. "I don't know why I went with him… but… I… I found a letter in his pocket from Voldemort… we… we got into a fight and I managed to stun him before you showed up. Before you _and_ the press showed up."

Harry stared at her for what seemed like forever before he sat down on the stairs and ran his hands through his hair, trying to think through everything.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ginny looked over at him and walked down the stairs and kneeled down so that she was in front of him.

"What was I supposed to say? That Harry Potter's girlfriend happened to be about to get screwed by a Death Eater," she growled. "What do you think the press would have done to you? What do you think everyone else would have done?"

"So you did it to protect yourself?!"

"YES!" she screamed, tears finally falling from her eyes. "Things got out of hand, Harry! It should have never gone as far as it did and I should have never been there, but I was! I was scared, Harry! You showed up with a bunch of people behind you including Reeta freaking Skeeter and what was I supposed to say!" she yelled. "'Oh no, Harry. Malfoy and I were up here snogging until I stumbled upon a letter from Voldemort. After that, I decided he wasn't worth my time,'" she snapped in a very mocking tone. "I screwed up and now…"

Harry looked up at her.

"You came back to make things right, didn't you?"

Ginny bit her lip.

"I screwed up, Harry," she whispered.

He stared at her for a moment.

"But you didn't screw him," he murmured.

Ginny rolled her eyes and stood up, distancing her self from him.

"I've _never_ screwed anyone, Harry," she responded darkly. "And I don't plan to."

Harry watched her for a minute then sighed.

"Good, let's get back to the Burrow. I need to tell Moody where we can find Hermione and the others," he said as he got up and climbed the stairs. "This time, you're staying at their," he added rather harshly

Ginny watched him go and felt a sort of dread watched over her. After what had happened, things couldn't possibly get any better.

**A/N: Very intense with a lot of drama. Most of you probably hate Ginny by now, but to be quite honest, I really don't care.**

**marvelous-fanwriter: **I hope you like the whole Malfoy Ginny thing. As for Hermoine, you'll just have to wait.

**nextbestthing:** I agree. Ron must feel utterly useless. We'll see what I have cooking for him in the next chapter.

**Rumpleteaze: **I'm pretty sure that's not what he wanted, though he did get one... sort of... not really...

**Oobe: **This chapter was pretty intense as well. It was also a little weird, because I had to think like Draco Malfoy, which is scary and cool at the same time.

**ThEnAmEsGiGi: **Well, Ginny's situation with Harry didn't improve at all. As for John Doe, I think it will be quite interesting when they finally meet again.

**Adelaide MacGregor: **Thank you! I'm glad you like it.

**No Chapter Tease this time. It's harder to think up angsty stuff than it is to think up what Draco Malfoy would say to you when he greets you. **


	14. Over the Edge

_The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body._ **-Publilius Syrus**

* * *

When Harry and Ginny arrived back at the Burrow with Dumbledore, it was much more crowded than when they had left. George, Percy and Fred were there along with Remus, Tonks, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Moody and a few other Order members.

"Well?" Mrs. Weasley asked anxiously, noticing how pale Ginny still was. Ginny shook her head and sat between Percy and George.

"Nothing happened," she muttered, glancing over at Harry. "He just gave us the information and that was it."

Fred couldn't help but snort.

"Draco Malfoy doesn't give out information for nothing. He asked you there for a reason. What happened?" he pressed.

"Nothing," Harry snapped, noticing the uncomfortable look that was flooding Ginny's face. "He gave us what we wanted. Hermione and the others are being held in the Azerka Mountains in Scotland. Somewhere near the Plano gorge."

Remus frowned.

"The Plano Gorge? Why would Doe take her there?" he asked.

Harry shook his head.

"I don't know, but we have to start moving," he said, addressing Moody more than anything. Moody nodded.

"We need to assemble those who will be going," he muttered.

Mr. Weasley stepped forward.

"I'll be coming, of course."

This time, Dumbledore spoke up.

"That will be quite impossible, Arthur," he said quietly. "None of you, save perhaps Remus and Harry, can come along."

"Why the hell not?" George snapped.

"George! Manners!" Mrs. Weasley scolded. George shot her a look.

"Why can't we come?" he demanded.

"It's too dangerous for purebloods," Harry answered. "We don't know how close he's keeping her to the area Hermione told us about. We can't risk any of you being affected by the bursts."

Ginny met his eyes and could tell that he was talking to her more than anyone else. She bit her lip and stood up.

"Harry's right. We really don't know what we're going into," she told them.

"What about Ron?" Percy asked suddenly. Everyone looked at him and frowned.

"What about Ron?" Remus asked.

Percy shrugged.

"Are we just going to leave him in the dark about this? From what I've heard, he's torn up his whole apartment already over this whole thing. You keep in the dark any longer and he'll lose his mind," he pointed out.

Moody shook his head quickly.

"I'm under strict orders from the Ministry to keep Ron unaware. He's restricted to know _anything_ about what's going on."

"Because he punched the Deputy Minister?" Harry asked incredulously.

"No, not because he punched the DM, but because Ron Weasley is incapable of following orders when he's not thinking straight. Ronald Weasley is a liability in this situation. The moment we let him out, he'll try to take this on single-handedly and get himself hurt or killed. The Ministry won't have that and I won't have that," Moody explained grimly before turning to Harry. "And if I find out that _someone_ has been passing information to him, I'll take that person off the case as well and _he_ can go join Ron in that apartment."

Harry straightened and took a deep breath. He knew that Ron was already on the edge. Keeping him out of the loop would only be worse. But he knew that giving Ron information would be just as bad. Ron would try to find a way out of that flat and then find a way to get to the mountains.

"Fine. Let's just get them back before they get hurt," he muttered.

* * *

Ron found himself staring out his window, very aware of the two Aurors standing on the opposite roof, watching him carefully.

He sat been sitting on his bed for the past two hours, watching the rain fall as he slowly deflated from his previous explosion. Two Aurors who had come inside the flat to give him his dinner, had been commenting on something that had happened at Hogwarts with his sister. When he had asked for more information, one of them had mistakenly joked about how she had gotten herself into a very compromising position against the wall with a Mr. Malfoy. Ron, who had taken the comment to the extreme, had snapped on the poor Auror. It took six other Aurors to restrain Ron and drag him to his room where he was to stay until further notice. The Auror he had attacked would be in St. Mungos indefinitely.

Ron moved his hands behind his back slightly but after feeling the magical bonds around them tighten, he sighed and settled down.

It had been nearly eight days since he had been confined to his flat and it was really starting to take a toll on his conscious mind.

"I shouldn't be here," he muttered.

No one responded.

The silence around him was deafening and quickly closing in on him as he struggled to maintain some sense of reality as his mind continued to venture away from him. Torture scenarios involving his brothers and Hermione bombarded him unrelentingly, keeping him away from the past few nights. Her agonized screams had kept him up at night and the images of his brother's lifeless bodies driven him beyond the normal thought process.

_You've failed her, Ron_, a nasty voice sneered at him.

"No… I tried to…"

_But you failed… you let her out of your sight and now she's going to die along with your brothers…_

"She's still alive… But she still alive…"

_How do you know, Ron? She could be dead._

"They would have told me."

_Like they would have told you that your sister was going to see Malfoy?_

"That's different…"

_Not really and you know it._

"But she has to be alive… she has to be…"

_But you don't know for sure._

"She can't be dead."

_But you don't know for sure._

"She can't be dead," Ron muttered again, shutting his eyes as he struggled to block out the overwhelming voice in his mind.

_BUT YOU DON'T KNOW FOR SURE!_

Ron fell to the floor on his knees and gasped for breath.

"Hermione…"

_RON!_

Her voice screamed his name over and over again, filling every inch of space around him, yet coming from absolutely no where, drilling into his very being and stripping away what was left of his sanity.

"No," he whispered.

_RON! RON!_

He could feel the floor below him begin to shake as her screams rose to a shrill siren that seared through his mind and branded a lasting image of Hermione's mutilated, dead body in the back of his mentality. Then everything went dark.

* * *

Lisa and Hermione looked up from the short letter they had been given and Lisa let out a short, strangled whimper when Charlie and Bill were dragged back in by two large guards and dumped in the middle of the tent. Charlie was unconscious. When the guards left, Lisa ran over to Charlie's side and started crying. Hermione helped Bill up, who looked very much shaken, but altogether unharmed. She helped him to the bed and then went over to Charlie.

"What happened?" she asked quietly as Lisa checked the man's breathing. Bill shook his head.

"I don't know… they were trying to see how much I knew… they took Charlie into another room and…" His voice wavered and his eyes fell on his prone brother. "I don't know… he… he started screaming…" Bill closed his eyes. "He wouldn't stop screaming."

Lisa let out a loud sob, and then fell into an agonized silence as she stared helplessly at her injured husband.

"What did you tell them?" Hermione asked.

Bill shook his head.

"I told them everything they already knew…" he whispered.

Before Hermione could say another word the entrance to the tent opened and the same two guards came back in. Lisa moved in front of Charlie protectively, but they didn't seem interested in him. They were staring right at Hermione.

"Doe wants to see you now," one of them said.

* * *

"Hermione, there you are."

Hermione cringed at the all too familiar voice of a man she used to admire as she entered the largest tent in the camp. She looked over to the center of the tent and saw him. He looked a bit different from when she had last seen him.

Doe stood up from his desk and walked around it to come over to her. She took a step away and he grinned.

"You're a hard woman to capture, Hermione. It seems Ron isn't the only Weasley who likes you enough to chase after you in a thunderstorm," he commented.

"Go to hell, John," she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. He just smiled.

"You're still against this aren't you?"

Hermione puffed up.

"Where did you think I'd stand on this, John? You _can't do this_," she said. "Just because Voldemort did it to us doesn't give you the right to wipe out every single pureblood in England!"

Doe watched her for a moment then walked back to his desk where there was a small wooden box lying on it. He ran his hands over the box and sighed.

"You know, Hermione… You're going to go along with this one way or another," he whispered.

"You can't make me-"

"Yes I can," he interrupted, turning around to face her, the box in his hands. "Because you see, under all of that 'I love all' exterior, you're still a muggleborn. You will always be a muggleborn," he said.

"You can't-"

He opened the box and suddenly Hermione felt a wave of nausea hit her. She clutched her stomach and stumbled a bit, but remained standing as she tried to regain control of her mind and body.

"What are you doing?" she asked, feeling another wave hit her with much greater force. He walked over to her as she fell to her knees, trying desperately to keep it all together.

"You're feeling it, aren't you, Hermione?"

_It's time for you to realize the truth, Hermione._

"No," Hermione groaned, grabbing her head as the voice grew. "I know the truth."

_No you don't. You think you do, but you don't. They don't deserve to live above us anymore, Hermione. _

"No," Hermione gritted. "No!"

_You know its true Hermione. You have to admit it sooner or later. _

"They're not bad," she gasped, a sudden jolt of pain shooting up her spine.

_They're not all bad? They've hurt you, Hermione! Malfoy's tortured you! The Death Eaters attacked you! Ron hurt you!_

"No… no!"

_Don't deny it, Hermione! You know he hurt you! He's always broken your heart!_

"But he loves me," Hermione rasped.

_Oh please! If he loved you, he wouldn't make you cry! He would have been there when you woke up! He would have been there!_

An overwhelming surge of electrical pain shocked Hermione's entire body and she fell to the ground, writhing in pain as the voice suddenly bombarded her with images of dead men, women and children. All killed at the hands of purebloods.

_Look at what they've done! Look at how many lives they've taken! They don't deserve to live like that! They deserve to become what they so ardently despise!_

Hermione let out a strangled moan as tears began to fall from her eyes. She tried to think clearly, but all she could see were the dead children. All she could hear were their bloodcurdling shrieks as they were slaughtered mercilessly. Their maimed bodies were surrounding her and crushing her as she lay there on the ground, pain coursing through her veins as she struggled desperately to breath. They were suffocating her as their pounding hearts pulsed in her brain like thunderous drums, pulsating as one as they reached some sort of terrifying climax. Then there was one single scream. A baby, screeching in a cradle as it drowned in the water that slowly surrounded it. The pitch became so loud that Hermione was certain that she would go insane if it didn't stop. It cut through her and gripped her shriveled heart with a darkness that froze even her entrails.

"STOP IT!" Hermione shrieked, covering her ears as the baby continued to wail wretchedly. "PLEASE! STOP!"

_No Hermione! Not until you realize the truth in this!_

The pounding hearts returned, rattling her bones with the booming beats as the sound of rushing blood crashed over her like a tidal wave. The screeching rose to a hysterical yowl that belonged to some godforsaken creature. Hermione could feel herself being smothered slowly by the mass pandemonium of pain that surged and constricted around her, alive in some way so that it could torture her ruthlessly.

"NO! STOP IT!" she screamed, the pulsing becoming too much for her to handle. "STOP IT!"

_Admit the truth, Hermione! Admit it! Only then will it stop._

Then she heard him. Ron's tortured cries of pain… his bleeding, limp form lying before her, his dead blue eyes staring at her from a lifeless corpse.

"NO!" she sobbed, reaching out for him. Maybe if she could get to him…

_The purebloods deserve to be put in their places, Hermione. Realize that truth and you will be set free!_

"FINE! IT'S TRUE! I BELIEVE YOU!" Hermione shouted out, feeling her heart as well as every other organ in her disappear in that moment. She couldn't go through with it any longer. The pulsating and the screaming. The shooting pain and the dead blue eyes that condemned her were too much.

_NO! You don't believe that, Hermione! I can feel it! You have to _BELIEVE_ it!_

"I DO! I BELIEVE IT! PLEASE STOP!" she screamed.

_LIAR! JUST BECAUSE YOU SAY IT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S TRUE! YOU MUST BELIEVE IT, HERMIONE!_

Suddenly, another body joined Ron's. She screamed when she realized that it was her father.

"NO!"

The shrieking continued. The pain increased and the images only got worse. She wanted death, but all she got was a living hell as she felt flames beginning to lick at her legs and arms. She could no longer hear her own tormented screams above the unrelenting booms and spine-chilling squeals. Images of herself, crying after an argument with Ron surfaced and she suddenly felt it starting.

"_He could have killed me and you wouldn't have cared," she snapped. _

"_Maybe if he killed you I wouldn't have to deal with your mouth any more," he retorted._

_Hermione slapped him and he reached to grab her, but stopped short. _

"_Oh my God…" Mrs. Weasley whispered, grabbing Mr. Weasley's arm for support. _

_Hermione had Ron's knife a hairsbreadth from his neck. Both of them were glaring at each other. _

"_What are you going to do?" he growled. _

"_I'm beginning to think that John's right… maybe there is no room for you," she whispered, her whole body shaking from pain, fear and anger. _

_Ron moved. _

_Fred and George, who had been inching closer to the couple, moved faster. _

_They grabbed Ron and yanked him back before he could reach Hermione. _

"_You bitch!" Ron screamed. "WHY DON'T YOU GO JOIN HIM THEN?!" he bellowed, struggling against his two brothers. _

_Hermione remained at the wall. She had stopped shaking. _

"_GO TO HELL!"_

"_YOU FIRST!"_

It was over…

All that was left was Hermione's wracked sobs as she lay on the floor, consumed by pain.

"I believe you," she cried into the ground. "I believe you."

John Doe reached down and touched her arm carefully.

"I know you do."

**A/N: Dun, Dun, DUN! OH NO! I finally update and leave you with something very bad! (Sorry it took so long to update! This story is a bit hard to do.)  
**

**OzDust:** They both have a reason for their actions. I'm glad you liked it though. Thanks for being so patient with me!

**sballLuvr5:** Yes, well it is a thought that doesn't seem to have a very good future... we'll see!

**Ainulin:** Thanks for waiting so long!

**smore4u1:** Yes. Draco being a sadistic arse is very bad. I'm glad you still like Ginny!

**Rumpleteaze:** That whole scene disturbed me a bit while I was writing it, but I was just telling myself... what would Malfoy do? And that's what came out. I hope you like this one!

**Adelaide MacGregor:** Don't worry. Sometimes I mix up my stories so I have to read through them to make sure I'm not repeating myself or giving information that has absolutely nothing to do with the story I'm writing at that moment.

**Oobe:** I gave you a bit more Hermione and Ron, but not much. We'll take the whole 'reuniting' thing slowly shall we.

**too many stars to count:** I think everyone emailed each other. It seems that everyone's on the same page about what happened to Ginny. Not that I'm complaining. I just find it very interesting.

**nextbestthing:** Thank you! You must have a very active imagination to be thinking about that before it actually happens! Here's the next chapter, just like I promised!

**lily:** Because that's _definitely_ what we all need right now. Something more _complex_. :-)

**ronandmion4ever:** Well, now that school is over, I'll have more time to devote to my chapters. As for Ginny being written well, are you reading my other story, Drift? I think you are. I hope she's not too perfect! As for angst, this chapter definitely had some!

**loralu:** I'm glad I was able to draw you in and that you took the time to read it! It really means a lot to me!

**Sorry guys. No chapter tease. :(**


	15. Meant to Live

**A/N: I know it's been over three weeks, but I hope you guys will stick with me. **

_ We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than the wars of our fathers  
And everything inside screams for second life!_

**Meant to Live by Switchfoot**

* * *

Harry glanced down at the map before looking over at Remus, who was a few feet ahead of him.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked again. Remus looked back at Harry.

"I've been here before, Harry. I know where I am," Remus replied, looking behind Harry to see the other Aurors catching up with them.

"We saw a few traces of a camp ground a few meters over there, Potter," one of the Aurors, Jackson, said, pointing to Harry's right. "They probably left a few hours ago."

Harry nodded, turning back to Remus.

"What now?" he asked.

Remus shook his head.

"Dumbledore gave us strict orders not to make any moves until he came back. We still don't know how many we're dealing with," Remus replied.

Harry swore and began to pace.

"We might not have much time, Remus. I can't wait forever," he said. Remus sighed and nodded.

"I know, but you'll have to until Dumbledore gets back."

* * *

Lisa leaned into Charles and let out a shaky breath.

"I wonder what Hazel's doing right now," Charles whispered, wrapping an arm around his wife and pulling her closer.

"She's probably worried sick," Lisa muttered, glancing over to where Bill was walking, a few meters ahead of them. He hadn't said a word since they had left the camp site and Lisa was starting to worry. "Fleur must be a wreck."

Charlie nodded slowly, looking behind him to see a few other pureblood families who had been abducted walking along the path as well. There must have been more ahead of them.

"Mum's probably a mess as well."

"No talking!" one of the guards barked harshly, shoving Charlie a bit to emphasize his point.

They walked through the woods for a while in silence, guards surrounding them with wands drawn and ready.

"Where do you think Hermione is?" Lisa asked quietly.

Charlie shrugged.

"She didn't come back after they took her to go see Doe… it can't be good."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Hermione stood at the mouth of the cavern, staring into the vast blackness as John moved over to her, a smile on his face.

"We will go in first," he told her. She nodded silently, ignoring the muffled screams that escaped from somewhere within her. John's smile widened and he turned to one of the guards.

"I'll tell you when to send up the purebloods," he said before he began to move inside the cavern. Hermione followed closely behind, eyes firmly ahead of her as if she had treaded through this place a million times before. The rocks beneath her feet and the cool air that surrounded her gave her a sense that she had been here before… but she couldn't remember… why couldn't she remember?

"You don't remember this place do you?" John asked from his spot ahead of her.

"No."

"Well, maybe when Hermione wakes up, she'll remember…"

"She won't wake up."

"Good."

They walked through the dark rocky paths in the cavern in silence, each one consumed by the surges of power that were starting to flow through them from a place further out of sight.

Finally they had arrived.

It was like a small arena with a fire pit in the center. That's where it came from. The magical bursts came from that pit. Hermione knew it, though she could no longer feel the power. John watched as she made her way to the pit and stood in front of it, eyes wide with wonder.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes."

John smiled.

"Then let us create beauty with it."

* * *

Charlie continued to glance into the large entrance to the cavern uneasily as he stood beside his wife and brother.

"I don't like this at all. There's something bad in there," he muttered. "This isn't going to end well."

Bill watched some of the guards move around while looking at the entrance as well.

"This must be the place," Bill whispered.

Lisa frowned.

"The place?"

Bill looked over at her.

"Hermione said that the last pureblood he came in here turned into a muggle… painfully," he added.

Lisa's eyes widened.

"Muggle? Is that why we're here? So they can turn us into muggles?!" she yelped.

"Shut up!"

Charlie shot a nasty look at the guard and pulled Lisa closer to him while staring at Bill.

"You're serious?" he asked.

Bill nodded, eyes on the cavern.

"Doe's been taking all sorts of purebloods for this. He's even attacked Azkaban."

Charlie frowned.

"Does that mean that Malfoy's here?"

Bill shrugged.

"I don't know."

Lisa was shaking terribly.

"What happens when they turn us into muggles?"

Bill looked over at her, sadness clouding his blue eyes.

"We forget everything… The man's family had to turn him over to Muggle Authorities because of the muggle laws."

Lisa suddenly broke down sobbing in Charlie's arms.

"No!" she cried. "No!"

Charlie just held her, his own fear manifesting in a pale face and terrified eyes.

"Oh my God…"

* * *

Ginny paced the kitchen floor, running her hands through her hair frequently and biting her lip as she tried not to think about Harry.

Fred and George sat at the kitchen table and watched her move, occasionally glancing at each other before the returned to watching her.

Mrs. Weasley had been unusually silent since they had left for the mountains, sipping tea calmly as she sat beside Fred and her husband.

"I wonder if they've gotten there yet," George muttered.

Mr. Weasley sighed.

"George, please don't say that again, you're making your mother nervous," he said.

"Sorry."

There was another silence and then Ginny spoke.

"I wish I knew what was-"

"Arthur!"

They all looked over to the back door to see Kingsley standing there. Ginny hurried and opened it.

"What is it, Kingsley?" Mr. Weasley asked.

Kingsley shook his head gravely.

"We have a problem. It's Ron," he said.

Mrs. Weasley stood up instantly.

"What? What happened?"

"Ron's escaped from his apartment. We have a feeling he's heading to the mountains."

"But how could he possibly know where to go?" Mr. Weasley demanded.

Eyes instantly went to Ginny, who looked horrified.

"Me! I didn't tell him anything!"

They then looked at Fred and George who shook there heads quickly.

"We didn't do it this time," they said together.

Mrs. Weasley looked around.

"Where's Percy?"

* * *

Bill looked up from where he was sitting and saw Hermione reappear from the entrance, eyes blank and staring.

"Bring in six," she ordered before disappearing again. A few families started screaming when the guards started grabbing random members and dragged them into the cavern.

"RACHEL! RACHEL NO!" one man screamed as they yanked his wife out of sight. "NO!"

"JACOB! JACOB!" she shrieked before her voice suddenly stopped.

"NO!" the man cried. "NO!"

"SHUT UP!" one guard roared, cursing the man into dumb silence.

Lisa's grip on Charlie tightened as the six men, women and children disappeared into the cavern.

"DADDY! DADDY!"

"Don't let them take me, Charlie," she whispered into his shirt, trying to block out the cries that surrounded them. "I don't want to forget you."

Charlie held her close, watching as the screaming was silenced by jets of light.

"I won't."

But even he knew that it was an empty promise. He couldn't protect her for long…

* * *

Harry ran close behind Remus as he and twenty others moved towards where they had heard the screams. Harry could hear his heart pounding in his head, but all he could think about was getting to the campsite before someone was killed.

Dumbledore had just given him word that Ron had escaped with the help of his brother, Percy, and that Ron was headed over here. Harry needed to get there first or Ron could get himself hurt…

"Stop," Remus hissed, slowing down to a standstill just behind some bushes and trees. He pointed to a small rocky clearing in front of the side of the high mountains. There was a large entrance to what Harry guessed was a cave.

"There at least fifty guards," Jackson muttered, pointing to a few around the edges. Harry nodded, noticing a few more near the entrance.

"Do you see anyone?" Harry asked.

Remus pointed to a mass of people in the middle of the clearing, huddled together. Some of them were crying while others had blank looks on their faces.

"There, to the left of the group. I can see Bill and Charlie."

It wasn't hard to see them in the crowd. The flaming red hair was like a beacon in the setting afternoon sun. Harry could tell that Charlie was holding someone and guessed that it was Lisa.

"Are these all the families who were taken?"

Remus nodded.

"It looks like all of them."

Harry looked past the group into the woods across from them.

"I don't see Ron," he muttered.

"He's probably not here yet," Remus responded. "It's not easy getting here."

Harry nodded and fell into silence as other Aurors arrived.

"Do we wait?" Jackson asked.

Harry glanced behind him to see Dumbledore walking up to where they were.

"What do you think?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore surveyed the situation quickly then nodded.

"We should go now, before anyone else gets hurt."

* * *

Bill looked over at a couple of families who were trying to comfort the man who had just lost his wife. Just then he thought of Fleur and his son and daughter. He'd never get to say good bye to them… he'd never get to tell her he loved her…

"I'm so sorry, Bill."

He turned to see Lisa watching him carefully from her spot in Charlie's arms.

"For what?"

Tears continued run silently down her eyes as she pointed to the other families.

"You never got to say goodbye to Fleur and the children," she whispered. "I'm sorry…"

Bill stared at her for a moment before he looked over at Charlie.

"At least I'll be with family," he muttered.

Charlie nodded, holding out his hand for Bill to take. Bill took it and shook his hand.

"It's been a pleasure, Bill," Charlie said.

"Pleasure's been all mine, Charlie."

Lisa broke out into a fresh set of tears and broke away from Charlie to hug Bill. Bill hugged her tightly before letting her go. Just then, Hermione appeared again.

"Eight," she said before disappearing. This time the guard walked straight over to where they were sitting and pointed at Lisa.

"You!"

Lisa's eyes grew and she grabbed onto Charlie for dear life.

"NO!"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Charlie yelled, pulling her away from the guard. The man pulled out his wand and pointed it at Charlie. A jet of blue light shot out, but instead of hitting Charlie, it hit Bill, who had jumped in front of the curse. The eldest Weasley fell to the ground heavily, bleeding badly from the several gashes that had burst from his body. Bill tried to scream in pain, but all that came from his mouth was more blood.

"Bill!" Charlie cried in horror. He moved to grab his brother but as he did, three guards popped up from behind him and grabbed Lisa, yanking her out of his grip and pulling her towards the cavern.

"NO! CHARLIE!" she screamed.

"LISA!"

Charlie scrambled from the ground and ran to get her but a flash of red light brought him down to the ground right beside a woman who had also been stunned when running after her child. He tried to move, but all he could do was lie there and do nothing.

"CHARLIE! CHARLIE! NO!" Lisa shrieked, fighting against the men that held her desperately. "CHARLIE! CHARLIE!"

Charlie could here her and see her, but he couldn't move from where he lay, eyes wide with pain and horror as his wife was dragged out of sight.

_NO!_

He knew he was screaming. He knew he was, but he couldn't hear anything escape from his lips as his heart began to tear itself apart. He couldn't lose her. He couldn't…

_BOOM! CRACK!_

The explosion shook the ground and destroyed a few trees while immobilizing a few of the guards right before the Aurors started pouring out of the woods, shouting out curses to the guards who were starting to retaliate.

"Charlie!"

Suddenly he could move again and he looked up to see Harry kneeling down beside him.

"Lisa! Get Lisa!" Charlie yelled while pulling himself up to look over to where Bill had fallen. Harry looked over as well and his eyes widened.

"Oh no," he whispered, but before he could go over to help, Charlie grabbed him by the arm.

"GET LISA!"

Harry was about to respond when someone's voice stopped him.

"RON STOP!"

Harry whirled around to see Remus reaching out to grab Ron, who had suddenly appeared out of the woods, sprinting towards the cavern entrance with no regard for the fact that he was being shot at from many directions.

"RON! RON, YOU CAN'T GO IN THERE!" Harry bellowed, shooting off after him. "RON STOP!"

But he didn't stop. The only thing that he cared about was Hermione and he knew she was in that cavern. He had to get to her.

Remus pointed to a few Aurors.

"STOP HIM! STUN HIM IF YOU HAVE TO!" he roared, pointing to where Ron was. The Aurors started firing at Ron, but they were too late. He disappeared into the darkness, Harry close behind him. Remus grabbed two Aurors near by and shoved them ahead of him.

"Follow Harry!"

* * *

"RON!" Harry shouted as he stumbled through the darkness and rocks that surrounded him. He couldn't see where he was going and for some reason his wand was no longer working. He could hear quick footsteps ahead of him, but he couldn't tell the distance between himself and Ron.

"RON STOP! YOU CAN'T GO ANY FURTHER!" he yelled, silently pleading with Ron to listen to him.

"I HAVE TO GET HER, HARRY!"

Ron's voice echoed loudly off the walls around him that Harry suddenly couldn't tell if Ron was ahead of him or behind him.

"RON, YOU HAVE TO STOP! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS FOR YOU!"

"I CAN'T! I HAVE TO SAVE HER!"

_What?_

"RON STOP! PLEASE!" Harry begged.

Ron didn't respond. Harry could no longer hear Ron's footsteps either and he was starting to panic. Ron couldn't get hurt. Harry couldn't lose his best friend.

That's when he felt it.

A rush of energy that flowed through him and filled him with a feeling of power. As he continued to run, he could feel it pulsating against the walls, like blood through the heart.

"RON!"

Harry stumbled out into the small arena and the first thing he saw was Ron, standing a few meters ahead. Just ahead of Ron were the bodies of those who had already been taken in. Harry could see Lisa lying on the ground. The only sign of life was the slow movement of her chest. She, along with the others, was bleeding profusely from wounds on her arms and legs.

"Harry Potter."

Harry whirled around to see a man standing right behind him, a smile on his face.

"John Doe," Harry guessed, pulling out his wand again. John's smile widened.

"Oh Harry, you always were a slow learner," he said, pointing at the wand. "That doesn't work here, as your redheaded friend has already found out."

Harry glanced behind him at Ron, who was still just standing there.

"What are you doing to him?"

"Oh, don't worry about him. He won't turn until he sees her," John said, moving past Harry to where the bodies of the purebloods were. "Them on the other hand… they were gone the moment they came in here."

"You son of a-"

"John."

Harry turned to see Hermione standing on the other side of the fire pit. Harry's eyes widened and he moved to go over to her.

"Hermi-"

"Potter, you really need to shut up," John said calmly and Harry fell to his knees, his lips melding together until there was nothing left but skin. "That's better." John then moved over to where Ron was standing and leaned into his ear.

"She's waiting for you to save her," he whispered and Ron's eyes opened to see Hermione across from him.

"HERMIONE!"

He started to run to her, but she held up her hand and he was stopped by a force he could not see. His eyes widened and sudden dread filled his entire being as she approached him with a blank face.

"No," he whispered. "No, not you… Hermione…"

Hermione walked right up to him so that they were face to face.

"You broke my heart… now I'm going to break yours," she whispered in a voice that was not her own. Ron tried to move but he couldn't. All he could do was stare into the soulless eyes of the woman he loved.

"Hermione… Hermione, wake up," he whispered. "Hermione, this isn't you. You need to wake up."

"Hermione's dead," she snapped.

Harry couldn't watch anymore. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. He wanted to scream, but he didn't have a mouth. He tried to move, but he was stuck on his knees, forced to watch his two best friends self-destruct.

John could see Harry struggling and leaned down so that he could look him in the eyes.

"Don't worry, Harry. It'll be over soon," he whispered before looking over Harry's shoulder with a smile. "Ah, it looks like we have company."

"Harry!"

That was all that Remus could say before he and the two Aurors were thrown to the other side of the arena and pinned down by large magical ropes.

"Now sit tight and stay quiet," John said to them.

Harry's eyes returned to Ron and Hermione and he almost died right there. Ron was on the ground, bleeding profusely from wounds that had not been there before. The thing that was worse was the screams that escaped from Ron's lips. They weren't human… it was like a thousand children were burning… it was a consuming, torturing noise that nearly drove Harry mad as he tried to look away, but he couldn't. He was watching his best friend die…

_NOOOOOO!_

This couldn't be happening…

But it was… and it was becoming ever more real as Hermione approached John and took his hand in hers, a smile appearing on her face.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

The three simultaneous explosions shook the entire arena horribly and sent rocks crashing down from the ceiling. John turned to see Dumbledore appear with fifteen Aurors behind him. John smiled.

"You're not powerful here Dumbledore," he snapped. "You can't stop me."

Dumbledore's eyes flashed dangerously as he held up five round green objects.

"Muggle technology still works," he said. He and two others threw the objects towards the fire pit and suddenly the whole place began to tremble. Harry watched in horror as the firepit expanded then contracted to a point where he could no longer see a thing.

_BOOM!_

Harry was thrown back by the magnitude of the explosion and was slammed into the wall as heat blasts escaped from the pit.

"We need to get out of here!" one of the Aurors screamed, running around the arena to help Remus and the other two Aurors. Harry suddenly found that he was able to speak as he struggled painfully to his feet.

"Ron," he muttered, staggering over to where Ron was lying, partially on fire from the explosion that was so close to him. Harry took off his jacket in a rush and began patting out the fire wildly, trying to block out the screams that were still escaping his best friend's lips.

"NOO!"

Harry was suddenly knocked over as someone threw themselves on him, scratching and pulling at him. The entire place shook again and more rocks fell as Harry shoved the person off of him and scrambled back over to Ron's side.

"NOO!"

The person jumped onto his back and grabbed him by the face, pulling him back again. Harry managed to get the person off of him, but when he turned to see who it was, he froze.

Hermione stood there in front of him, glaring at him.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" she screamed.

Harry felt like crying in that moment. This wasn't right… he wasn't supposed to fight her.

"He's going to die, Hermione! I have to get him out of here!"

Hermione pointed at Ron's writhing body.

"He deserves do die!"

Harry shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you listening to yourself, Hermione?! This is Ron! Your husband! You love him!"

Hermione shook her head, eyes blazing with hatred.

"NO! Hermione's dead and soon he will be too!"

"Hermione don't do this!"

_BOOM!_

This explosion nearly knocked the two off their feet. It was then that Harry noticed that the others had disappeared, except for Remus who was running over to them.

"HARRY! WE NEED TO GO!" he screamed.

"NO!"

Hermione lunged for Remus.

That's when Harry did something he'd never done before. He grabbed Hermione by her head and slammed her into the wall hard. Horrified at what he had just done, he stumbled back, eyes wide with fear and shock. However, she wasn't unconscious. She lay there for a moment, clutching her head in pain before she looked up at Harry with a confused gaze.

"Harry… What's going on?" she asked before Ron's screams caught her ear. She looked over in his direction and her eyes widened in terror. "RON!" She tried to get to him but another explosion went off.

_BOOM!_

Harry grabbed Hermione by her waist and dragged her back, shoving her towards the exit.

"There's no time, Hermione! You have to leave!"

She shook her head, tears running down her face.

"NO!"

Harry took her by the face and looked into her eyes.

"Hermione, I'll get Ron. You need to get out!"

Remus was already dragging Ron's writhing body towards them.

"HERMIONE GO!" Harry bellowed and after a moment of indecision, she stumbled out, still stunned by the blow Harry had given her. Harry then turned and helped Remus with Ron.

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

"RUN!"

**A/N: Wow, when I left you guys, I sort of screwed all of you over with the chapter ending. I hope you guys were happier with this one than most of you were with the last one. **

**too many stars to count:** Yes, she is stronger than the lies, but some curses are stronger than she is.

Adelaide MacGregor: Thank you.

smore4u1: Well, you don't have to because it's over... in a rather unorthodox crack...

lily: No one _knows_ anyone anymore. It's such a strange story that I think that's the whole point of it all. Not knowing a person you thought you knew for such a long time. Ginny has some issues in her past and even Hermione was hiding a few things.

Rumpleteaze: Wow, someone's a bit of a sociopath. :-) (I should speak for myself since I write the stuff)

Oobe: Well, I hope you have something to say about this interesting chapter.

1111111111111111: I didn't update ASAP, but I did update with a lot of stuff. I hope this works!

Ainulin: Oh, you'll be saying the exact same thing once you've read this chapter.

nextbestthing: How about two chapters? To ease the anxiety of having to wait to see what happens after this.

ThEnAmEsGiGi: I think at the end of this chapter, you feel worse about Ron than Hermione.

lucy2525: Enjoy!

sballLuvr5: I'm glad you understand that Hermione did not _submit_ to the lies, but was forced to _believe_ them. Thank you.

marvelous-fanwriter: Yes, I would have to say that what Ron did was completely insane.


	16. Maintain Consciousness

_The silence kills the calm of the night…_

_I force an anxious patience!_

_Counting every beat and waiting for my turn to die…_

**Give It Up by Midtown**

* * *

"_Ron, please… this isn't the time-"_

"_THEN WHEN!" he roared, causing her to shrink further into the wall as the others remained in their seats, paralyzed. "For three bloody weeks I've had to keep it inside, Hermione! For three weeks I've had to deal with shit thrown at me! For three weeks I've had to stand here, hoping to only catch a glimpse of you!"_

_She continued to shake her head. _

"_Ron, please…" she begged, well aware of the audience that was not only in the kitchen but gathering upstairs in the form of Harry and Ginny. _

"_Hermione… for three weeks… I've… I've had to lie in bed… knowing I was everything less than a man because… because I couldn't protect you…" he whispered._

_Tears ran down Hermione's cheeks and she let out a small whimper. She could feel her heart tearing in half and unimaginable pain flood through her. _

"_You… you promised… you promised you would be there… in the morning."_

That time seemed so long ago from where Hermione was now that it hardly seemed real…

Hermione found herself sitting in a holding cell at the Ministry, bonded to the chair she was in tightly and watched carefully by three Aurors, with five others on the other side of the door. Her head felt like it had been split open and an excruciating pain was shooting up her spine periodically as she shifted in her chair, but she didn't make a sound for fear that one of the Aurors would curse her again. She could still feel a crusted trail of blood down her face and knew that the gash on the side of her head was much bigger than she had thought it was when she had first been brought here.

But the wound wasn't what tortured her as she sat in silence…

Ron…

She didn't remember what happened before Harry had smashed her into the wall, but she knew that Ron was in serious trouble. She hadn't been able to say a thing to him or Harry when she had stumbled out of the caver. She had been arrested and taken straight to the Ministry of Magic. She had tried to speak, but after the first Auror, a man who'd lost his wife in the first group, had attacked her rather aggressively, she had given up on words and surrounded herself with a self-destructive silence.

If Ron was dead and they hadn't told her yet… and she was the reason…

Hermione closed her eyes and instantly images of his writhing, bleeding body flashed in front of her, intensifying her guilt. She knew she was responsible for much more than she could even fathom…

_I'm so sorry, Ron… I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…_

* * *

It was complete and utter chaos.

Fourteen people were in dire condition with many more people being treated for serious injuries from the many curses that had been flying around during the attack.

Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters were all screaming, crying and begging to see their family members who had been apart of the whole thing. Healers were at a loss of what to do and Ministry officials were hesitant to do what they knew they had to.

The fourteen had to be removed from St. Mungos as soon as possible. It was a security risk since they had no idea how much others were at risk to being exposed, if at all. However, they didn't want to start an uprising in the families waiting. That would only make things worse.

Harry was trying to ignore the screaming pain in his heart that told him that he had lost everything tonight.

The Healers had not come back to talk to the Weasleys about Ron's condition, but Harry had seen him and knew that he was so far gone that it would only hurt more to hope for anything better. Harry had not been able to even see most of the family, only coming into contact with Mr. Weasley briefly before he was called away by his hysterical wife.

Hermione was at the Ministry with no indication that she was in better waters.

Harry continued to point people to different locations as he stood there at the entrance of the hospital with ten other Aurors who were trying to calm the pandemonium that had become Mungos only hours earlier. It didn't show any signs of slowing any time soon.

"Do you know where my daughter is?"

Harry pointed down the hall.

"If she was in the Pureblood attack, you might find her down there," he told the old woman. She nodded and frantically made her way to where he had pointed. Harry tried to breathe as he was bombarded with more questions about loved ones.

"_Is she dead?"_

"_Where is he?"_

"_I want my daddy!"_

What Harry wanted more than anything right now was to disappear from the world and feel anything but the overwhelming pain and sorrow that consumed his every waking moment and tortured his mind with images of not just Ron's dying body, but with the faces of those he had lost during the war, including Sirius and even his parents.

"Harry! Harry!"

He looked around and his eyes widened to see Ginny shoving against the crowds of scared people to get to him.

"Harry," she gasped, grabbing his arm tightly. There were unshed tears in her frightened eyes. "Harry, what's going on? Are you okay?"

Harry glanced over at an Auror.

"Hey, John, can you take over for me?"

The man nodded and Harry led Ginny off into a much quieter, less crowded section of the hospital. The Children's Ward.

He stopped in the middle of the hall and turned to her, but before he could say a word, she threw her arms around him and held him close. He pulled her closer, closing his eyes as he fought to keep it together for her sake.

"Harry, what's happening? Where's Hermione? Where's Ron? I can't find anyone," she whispered into his robes. Harry ran a hand over her hair, trying to smooth it down as he glanced around the sterile setting.

"I don't know, Gin… I haven't seen Ron or Hermione since we left the site," he whispered. Ginny pulled away from him to look into his eyes, a horrifying question evident in her own, though she wasn't about to say it out loud. She didn't have to. Harry knew instantly what she was thinking.

He nodded painfully.

"We couldn't stop him," he whispered. "Hermione-"

"Stop," Ginny whispered, not wanting to hear anymore as the tears finally fell down her cheeks. "I don't want to know…"

Harry pulled her back to him, holding her as she began to cry into his chest. He wanted to tell her that it was okay, but that wasn't possible…

Nothing seemed possible anymore…

"What are they going to do to her?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know…"

Ginny pulled away to look at him.

"You don't know or you won't tell me?"

* * *

Ten hours had passed since the large group of people who had been in the cavern had been brought to St. Mungos and only three since two of them had passed away. Two small girls who had not been able to regain the blood they had lost and died quietly.

There was still no word on the condition of the others.

As for John Doe, though the official statement was an apparent suicide, there were a few Aurors who were supposed to be guarding him suspended pending a closer investigation.

Hermione Weasley was still being kept under surveillance and in the dark, which was her torture for what many accused her of doing to their families.

The Weasley's sat in the waiting rooms with other families, desperate for any Healer to tell them what was happening. Nothing came.

Harry waited at Grimauld Place with Remus and Tonks, staring at his hands with helplessness.

"What do I do if Ron dies and Hermione goes to Azkaban?" he asked quietly.

Tonks bit her lip.

"Harry don't talk like that. Ron's going to make it and Hermione…" she faltered there and turned to Remus, who sighed.

"Things will work out, Harry. They always do."

"No they don't," Harry muttered. "Things never work out they way you want them to."

"Harry-"

"I'm going to lose both of them…"

Before Remus or Tonks could respond there was a faint crack and Moody came walking in.

"Potter, you need to come with me."

"Why?"

"I need you to talk to Hermione," Moody growled. Harry's eyes grew.

"You mean no one's talked to her at all?!"

Moody shook his head.

"Hermione has no rights at the moment, Potter, but I need to know what she remembers before I can accurately place charges. And I don't trust myself or anyone else talking to her. She's in too much of a delicate state to risk her completely clamming up."

* * *

Hermione looked up from staring at a small beetle on the floor to see Harry enter the holding cell, a painful look on his pale and exhausted face. At first she was about to say his name, but then thought better of it and remained silent, watching as he conjured a table and additional chair for himself and sat down in front of her. The Aurors watching her left, but she knew that they would be watching her carefully from the outside.

Harry stared at her for a moment before looking down at his hands. When he didn't speak, Hermione felt her heart constrict agonizingly.

"Harry, is he okay? Is he alive?" she asked urgently, but he didn't answer. "Harry please… I need to know-"

"That's confidential, Hermione," Harry muttered. "Now you have to tell me what you remember."

Hermione stared at him for a moment before she shook her head.

"Tell me how Ron is?"

"Hermione what do you remember?"

Hermione's eyes grew instantly.

"You don't know."

That caught his attention immediately and she knew then… she knew…

Tears came to her horrified eyes as a sob escaped her lips.

"Oh my God… he's dying," she whispered.

Harry shook his head.

"Hermione, no-"

"He's dying," she said again, moving her hands against her bonds to get free. But instead they tightened, making her even more distressed as she continued to struggle against her chair. Harry rose in his own chair slightly, afraid that if she moved any more, she'd start to hurt herself.

"Hermione, you need to calm down."

"I KILLED HIM! I KILLED RON!"

"Hermione-"

Suddenly she started screaming and wailing miserably, rocking back and forth violently in her chair as she proclaimed her guilt.

"I KILLED ALL OF THEM!"

"Hermione, no!" Harry yelled, moving around the table and trying to grab her arms.

"NOO!" she sobbed, moving her head up and down as tears streamed down her face. "NOO!"

Harry grabbed Hermione's face and shook her.

"Ron's not dead!" he shouted.

"YES HE IS! I KILLED HIM!" she sobbed, moving back and forth. The bonds holding her were starting to cut into her skin as she continued to struggle against them, causing her to cry harder and shriek louder as her chilling hysteria continued to escalate. Aurors came rushing into the holding cell, trying to restrain her, but she was past control by then. She was starting to tremble terribly as she continued her tirade.

"HE'S DEAD!" she screeched. "HE'S DEAD JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM ARE DEAD! AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

"Hermione-"

"NOOOOO!"

There was a bang and then it was quiet.

Hermione was slumped over in her chair, unconscious to the world, but still shrieking silently about how she alone was to blame for everything. All Harry could do was stand there and stare at her, tears running down his own face.

He had lost her…

* * *

It was now day six since the attack and since no news had come back from the Ministry or St. Mungos about the victims.

The silence was about to end.

The Minister of Muggle Relations was holding a press conference at St. Mungos to once and for all clear up what was to be done with those who had been changed… those who no longer remembered…

"First of all, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest condolences to the familes of the victims of the Pureblood Attacks six days ago. The thoughts and prayers of those at St. Mungos as well as those at the Ministry of Magic are with you all in this dark hour," the Minister started out, addressing the group of people to the left of him. "Now though, I have some grave news… All twelve remaining victims of the attack have changed."

A piercing cry like a wounded animal cut through the tense silence and instantly people started sobbing. Harry, who was standing off to the side, looked straight over to the Weasleys, who were standing around Charlie, who could hardly stand now. He was crying… no, bawling into his mother's arms as his father held Charlie's only daughter.

_How could this happen_?

"The Ministry of Magic must now follow protocol and move the twelve to a secure muggle Hospital-"

"NO!" a woman shrieked. "You can't take away my husband!"

"In two hours, they will be moved and-"

What ever the man said next was drowned out by the hysterical sobs and enraged protests of those who had too much to lose.

All Harry could do was stand there, lost in his own personal pain…

Ron, whose condition had finally been made known to the Weasleys, was dying…

Hermione was going to Azkaban…

And Harry…

He wished he was dead…

**A/N: ...**


	17. Awake

_Why do I feel like I'm slipping away?_

_Why do I feel so far away?_

_Wake me up inside my dreams!_

_Just in time for me to believe!_

**Awake by Pillar**

* * *

Hermione shuddered and sat up straight in bed, gasping for breath as her nightclothes clung to her drenched body. Images of writhing, bleeding, sobbing corpses flooded her eyesight and filled her nostrils with the putrid stench of rotting souls and urine. Mangled bodies and geysers of blood pounded through her ears like a roaring, shrieking banshee, driving her mad as she tried to force out the image. As she sat there in bed, she tried desperately to rid her mind of horrifying fights and unforgivable words that haunted even her waking moments with guilt and pain.

Taking a shaky breath, she reached out blindly through the darkness to the space next to her and began to quiver again.

Pushing the covers back, she got out of bed and padded across the floor and opened the door, glancing out.

"Ron?" she called.

No answer.

"Ron?" she tried again.

Still no answer.

She slipped out of the bedroom and went to the room opposite, opening the door slightly to peer inside.

There was a little ray of moonlight peeking through the blinds, allowing her to see two small infants sleeping quietly in their cribs, clutching small stuffed animals. The third crib was empty.

Closing the door softly, she tiptoed to the next bedroom and opened that door a little. The only evidence of life was the slight movement of a young boy's chest as he slept peacefully. No one else.

Biting her lip, she left the room and went downstairs, finally noticing a glow coming from across the living room from the kitchen. As she passed through the living room, her eyes crossed over pictures of a family that had seen better days…

When she peered into the kitchen, she saw the man she was looking for, flipping through a magazine and drinking a cup of tea. There was a baby with red hair in his arms, gurgling and pulling on his flaming hair, which had grown much longer over the years, was covering the lingering scar that ran down his neck. Scars of a time she would have liked to forget ran up his arms as well as he stopped at a particularly interesting page and pointed at it, rocking the little girl up and down and smiling when she giggled.

"Ron," she whispered and he looked up. The smile on his face faltered when he noticed the sweat on her brow and how pale her skin was. He stood up and shifted his daughter to one hip before he walked over to where she stood by the door.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, taking her face in one hand so that he could see her eyes better. "Did something happen?" he asked, fearing the worst for a moment.

Hermione shook her head, staring at him for a moment before leaning in and capturing his lips in a gentle kiss before Ron pulled away, he rested his head against hers, taking deep breaths as she glanced over at the little girl, who had suddenly fallen asleep in Ron's arms.

"What was that for?" he rasped, watching her closely as she tried to compose herself. She looked up into his confused blue eyes and bit her lip.

"I… I dreamt of John Doe," she whispered.

She felt Ron stiffen and saw his eyes darken considerably before he pulled away from her. He rubbed a dark scar on his neck unconsciously as he moved over to pick up the cup of tea and put it in the sink, all while trying not to reawaken the baby.

"Hermione, that was ten years ago," he muttered, taking out his wand and flicking it at the cup, which cleaned itself then zoomed up to a cupboard.

"That doesn't mean it still doesn't haunt me, Ron," she whispered, watching as he stood by the sink with his back facing her.

"It wasn't your fault, Hermione… how many times do you need to hear it before you realize that it's true?" he asked quietly, readjusting the child in his arms.

"I'll never think its true, Ron," she murmured. Ron turned to face her.

"Hermione-"

"People died, Ron. You can't say that I didn't have anything to do with that," she snapped.

"Now you sound like Harry," Ron whispered, pulling the sleeping baby closer to him.

"Ron, that's not funny-"

"No it's not Hermione," Ron hissed quietly. "But I'm not about to let you continue torturing yourself for something a psychopath did."

"With my help!"

"Hermione-"

She held up her hand, shaking her head.

"Forget it Ron, I shouldn't have brought it up… it was just a nightmare," she whispered. Ron walked over to her and took her by the arms, holding her close.

"Hermione, you can't-"

"I said forget about it, Ron," Hermione snapped, pulling away from him. "I'm fine."

Ron watched her for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. He then kissed her on the forehead before moving past her.

"I'm going to put Kelly to bed, Hermione," he whispered, going towards the stairs. Hermione closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, trying to clear her mind of all the ghastly images that haunted her for so long…

_You can't escape it, Hermione!_

Hermione's eyes bulged and she looked around frantically for the origin of the voice.

"Hermione."

She turned to see Ron watching her from the bottom of the staircase. There was a concerned look on his face, though he obviously didn't say what was on his mind.

"Are you coming up?" he asked.

She glanced around the kitchen one more time before nodding and turning out the kitchen lights.

"Yeah… I'm coming…"

_**The End...**_

**A/N: Yes, I know, a rather odd and abrupt ending, even for me, but just this once I decided to do the right thing and leave it up to the readers imagination, sort of. I mean, they're married with kids, so you all have to decide for yourselves what happened in between. Did she go to Azkaban? Did Ron become a Muggle? Those sorts of things. I hope you all liked the story. I certainly did. Besides, I thought it would be funny to sort of tease you with the name of the story. **

**sballLuvr5:** Why, insanity is my middle name! I _love_ insanity! It's what makes me write these stories!

**nextbestthing:** Someone has to lose so everyone else can win. Besides, do we _really_ know if Charlie lost Lisa? If Ron came back (And if you read carefully, he isn't a muggle. There's a very clear hint to that), doesn't that mean Lisa could? Possibly? I don't know, I'm just making up questions as I write. I don't even remember half the stuff I wrote in the last chapter.

**lucy2525:** Yeah, I have that effect on people.

lily: Intense is a lovely way of putting it.

**Ainulin:** You make up what happens.

**Rumpleteaze:** Not really. I mean, I know I've written tons of sequels, but I think this is it. Someone else could write one of those "what happened in the ten years" stories, but I think this is it.

**too many stars to count:** Well, this isn't necessarily a _happy _ending, but it's not as dark as the chapter before.

**Adelaide MacGregor:** Thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed the story.

**tamara72:** He survived, but I dont think Hermione will ever be herself again.

**Oh boy! This means I get to start a new story! _Yes_, I have another story brewing already. (Some of you are probably saying, this guy needs a hobby) But yes, I do have another story brewing. It's partially finished in my mind, but now I can start writing it. Don't expect anything soon though. With school starting, I'll have other things on my plate to handle. But I'll tell you all this. It will be a Ron/Hermione story. Drift will be my only other ship story. And this story will be in the Hogwarts era. Seventh Year, of course. Be prepared. This one is going to be _very_ different. Or maybe it won't. I don't know yet.**

**THANKS FOR READING!**


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